Plato On the Nature of The Good

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Plato On the Nature of The Good
Analogy of the Sun
The Sun
The Good
is that makes to the through the power of by
providing
an intelligible object objects intelligible soul u
nderstanding truth
a visible object objects visible eye sight light
The tree above is the visible object, the Forms
(Universals) are the intelligible objects that
the Good shines on. Both the Sun and the Good
create their objects.
http//www.boisestate.edu/people/troark/didactics/
ancient/materials/Line_Sun.pdf
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Aristotle On the Nature of The Good
The Good
as a transcendental property
Substance Quality Place
Position Action
Quantity Relation Time Possession
Passion
Socrates
is white
is in Athens
is seated
is speaking
is a friend to Plato
is one
it is noon
has a toga
is being spoken to
Is it odd that good can be predicated in any of
the 10 categories?
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Pseudo-Dionysius on Self-Diffusion of The Good
The Good
?
Father
Son
Holy Spirit

• Argument, loosely, from Pseudo-Dionysius the
  Areopagite
• There is no contradiction in supposing an
  all-knowing being does not share its knowledge.
• There is no contradiction in supposing an
  all-powerful being does not share its power.
• But there seems to be a contradiction in
  supposing an all-good being does not share its
  goodness.
• Therefore, an all-good being must share its
  goodness.
• Sharing goodness requires a plurality of beings
  (persons?).
• An all-good being must
• itself be a plurality of beings (persons?), or
• create other beings (persons?) with whom to share
  its goodness

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Pseudo-Dionysius on Self-Diffusion of The Good

• An all-good being must
• itself be a plurality of beings (persons?), or
• create other beings (persons?) with whom to share
  its goodness
• So, does this Self-Diffusion principle imply that
  the ultimate being must be a plurality of persons
  (2, 3, or more)
• or
• does it imply that the ultimate being must create
  a universe (multiverse)?

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Aquinas On the Nature of The Good
God Being The Good Angels Humans Animals Plant
s Rocks Mud? Formless Matter
The Great Chain of Being
Actuality
Potentiality
Aquinas gets the chain from Plotinus (his
student, Porphyry), Augustine, Boethius,
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, and others, and
adds to it
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Great Chain of Being

• The Chain is characterized by
• Gradation the chain is composed of better and
  worse beings forming a linear hierarchy
• Plenitude the class of beings comprises all
  possible beings
• Continuity there are no gaps in the Chain (see
  Peter Subers page)
• and is governed by
• the Principle of Sufficient Reason (from nothing,
  nothing comes a cause must have as much or more
  reality than its effect)
• Benedict Spinoza
• Since existing is something positive, we cannot
  say that it has nothing as its cause (by Axiom 7
  ex nihilo, nihil fit). Therefore we must assign
  some positive cause, or reason, why a thing
  existseither an external one, i.e., one outside
  the thing itself, or an internal one, one
  comprehended in the nature and definition of the
  existing thing itself (Geb. I/158/49)

This link is just for your edification
Read just the introduction from this link
Consider Modal Argument for Existence of God
Read a recent article about whether something can
come from nothing here.
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Great Chain of Being
A few interesting links (various quality).
Lovejoys book is considered the classic
treatment Dr. Kip Wheelers Page Wikipedias
bit The Great Chain in Shakespeare The Great
Chain of Being, by A. O. Lovejoy