A good lamp vs. a good person. Is there an inherent difference between these two forms of goodness? From an initial pondering, it seems illogical to suppose that a lamp could be good in the same way a human being could be good. However, these concepts of goodness unite in the innate human understanding of form, both for the lamp and the human. This latent form embodies the function of the thing at hand. By observing a lamp or a human as good, one is making an unstated but understood judgment that the lamp or human is performing the function it is inherently meant to accomplish. To be a good lamp is simple enough: just give light when on, and do not give light when off. But how does one be a good human? By utilizing the idea of goodness as actualizing one’s intended purpose, one can better understand the grounds for goodness and draw out the innate human understanding of right and wrong through this semi-biological question of the proper/good function of a human being.

Writing about the philosophy of revered theologian and philosopher Thomas Aquinas, authors & scholars Christopher Shields and Robert Pasnau write, “Accordingly, all humans want to function well, which is to say that all human beings want to attain the best form of life available to them as human beings” (Shields & Pasnau 249). Their examination of Aquinas’s thoughts titled The Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas examines the writings and arguments of the famed Dominican philosopher. Aquinas, with his steadfast theological background, certainly maintains a religious bias for how one should think about the meaning of “goodness” for a human, but his logical argumentation and deep moral searchings make him arguably the ideal philosopher to look to when attempting to understand the answer to this eternal question of how to function properly as a human. Aquinas wrote extensively on this topic and came to the understanding that the unique and innate human function is the capacity to reason–this is our light in the lamp analogy. Therefore, to be a good human is to actualize one’s capabilities for reason and utilize one’s rationality, avoiding the bestial ways of our fellow animals that lack the capacity to reason. Since Aquinas finalized his writings, more study has been conducted around whether humans truly are the only creatures that have the capacity to reason. Some respected scholars disagree with Aquinas on this topic–others are in accordance with him. Regardless, acting rationally appears to be a path that leads to human flourishing more so than acting irrationally. And when humans act rationally, we likely lead to the betterment of other humans, which leads to humans embodying “goodness.”

So is goodness in the lamp exactly the same as goodness in the human? This view is probably too simplistic, but maybe it is just human ego and/or a destitute lack of self-understanding that leads one to this conclusion. Humans think of ourselves as more complex than lamps, but maybe there is more simplicity in goodness than we think. Do we reason ourselves to the point of irrationality? As Da Vinci stated so eloquently, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Maybe what humanity needs is just to sit and contemplate in pure simplicity. Maybe this can bring a light to goodness.

-Charlie, November 2023