Summum Bonum (Noun)
Meaning
The supreme good in which all moral values are included or from which they are derived.
Classification
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects.
Examples
- For centuries, philosophers have debated about what constitutes the summum bonum, with some arguing it is happiness, while others believe it is virtue.
- The ancient Greeks considered eudaimonia, a state of flourishing, to be the summum bonum of human life.
- In certain spiritual traditions, the summit bonum is believed to be a state of union with the divine.
- For Kant, the summum bonum was not the pursuit of happiness, but rather the fulfillment of one's moral obligations.
- Aristotle's concept of the summum bonum is that it is the attainment of a life of virtue and the realization of one's full potential.