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Back to Subjects - Philosophy

What is good

What is good Good, a word used by all, but most not truly knowing what the true concept of good actually is. What is good? Good, in my own understanding, entails an act or statement that is, not only morally and perceptively correct in the eyes of others, but also in one’s own eyes. There is a sense of accomplishment; a sense of achievement felt when something good has been done. This feeling usually does not only pertain to the individual, but also to those around him who might have benefited in one way or another from his/her good deed or statement. It is important to note that morals only apply to individual action and consequence. Ethics, however, apply to the actions of two or more people. Ethics are meaningless unless applied in a social context. Ethics serve to define the acceptable actions of the individual within the social structure. Ethics are established through the consensus of many people and with the guidance of human experience. Ethics serve the purpose of deciding what is right in society according to your peers, subordinates, and superiors. With morality, ones behavior is held to an ideal code of conduct. Ethics, however, deals with an imperfect, but attainable set of practices. It is left to the individual to take a decision that is moral, regardless of its ethical standing. Socrates held that ‘To know the good is to do the good.’ By this, he meant that no man knowingly acts against his own interest. Socrates believed that no man could knowingly do wrong if that person truly knew the right course of action. This idea of good would best be described as unattainable; however, there are instances in everyone’s life that feel good. I have had many personal experiences during my lifetime that have been good, not only for myself, but also for the rest of society. I will try to define what good actually is based on my personal experiences. Good can be thought of as situations in which one is found to have more pleasure in his/her life due to the occurrence of that specific event. One can receive more pleasure in life by getting a new job. A new job would give someone money and the opportunity to do more things that would add pleasure to their life. An example of this in my life would be a job I just recently got in which I am now making more money than I was at my old job. With this job, I now have more money to do more things that will help to bring more pleasure in my life. I will never be able to do all things that I would like to do and this is where Plato’s idea of good being unattainable is demonstrated. Something that is unachievable would seem to have different opinions based on different personal beliefs. There are the ethical and moral stands on each issue and oneself and the people around them determine this sense of good by acknowledging the ethical and moral standpoints and determining what is more important to them regarding their decision. If something makes you and the people around you happy, then what happened to cause this occurrence was good. For instance, scoring the game-winning touchdown in a football game is good because your whole team will be happy about that touchdown and about winning the game. Another instance of this would be talking to your best friend after he/she just heard some bad news and cheering them up is good. If you can cheer someone up after talking to them, even if you didn’t cheer them up, the sheer fact that you showed them that you care about them and their problems will make them feel better and therefore that would be good. A little more appropriate would be to demonstrate to you how ethics and morals factor into determining this sense of good. Other people and their views on certain issues and events would be the ethics concerning that issue. Even though the more ethical decision that could be placed into this situation might not agree with the moral point of view, it takes responsibility to make the decision that goes along with personal morals over the thought of what other’s think. One must also not confuse his/her moral thought on the ethical standpoint on the issue however, especially if there wasn’t any rational or appropriate thought taken into account. Another way of determining what is good would be something that gives you and your friend’s reason to celebrate. Celebration is good because that would imply that something that was done brightened everyone’s day and now it is time to enjoy that feeling of goodness. A great example of this from my experiences would be a couple of weeks ago when my sister scored the go-ahead touchdown in our sorority flag football game. After this touchdown, our sorority kept the lead and went on to win the game, leaving us tied for first place. This win made everyone in the sorority feel good and gave us reason to celebrate, so we celebrated the victory and our flag football team that weekend. There are many more instances that would give oneself and his/her friends reason to celebrate, such as having a baby, getting married, getting a new job, and doing well in school. Good can also be described as when one does something that makes him/her happy about the accomplishment. This accomplishment can be anything from going to bed by midnight every night of the week and still getting everything done that needs to get finished. It can also be remembering your parent’s anniversary and doing something nice for them to being the one responsible for winning the big game There are several different meanings and understandings of what good really is. Good can be so many different things, but at the same time, good symbolizes something positive happening, something to make people happy, and something that lets people enjoy life and enjoy what they have to offer to others. Even though the full concept of good is seen as unachievable, many aspects of good can be felt and seen in everyone’s life. This good should be sought after, but never achieved. So, we have come to determine that good involves the combination of ethics and morality into personal decisions. A person’s morality is more important in making a decision than anything else and it is important for one to understand that he/she should uphold his/her personal standards before anyone else’s wants, desires, or beliefs are adhered to. An ethical decision that does not uphold one’s personal moral beliefs is not a good decision and shouldn’t be made. Something that will bring good into one’s life is a decision that is made upholding their personal moral beliefs, whether or not that decision agrees with the ethical stance on the issue. It is the individual’s responsibility to make a moral decision regardless of the ethical standing in order to achieve this good. Society wants most of the people to do what is right most of the time, encouraging the people to be moral in their decisions, causing good in our everyday life, even concerning the most minute details of our lives. Bibliography:

Word Count: 1208