Define "good"

[Zaik]

The first thing that pops into your head.

Then read what everyone else said.

Then argue about it amongst yourselves like you love to do, internet.

 

[Raikov]

Honesty, when someone ask for your opinion.

 

[Theo Rob]

some thing thats beneficent to some one
i guess

 

[KaizokuouHasu]

helpful, altruistic, mutually beneficial, agreeable, harmless and uplifting.

Like that?

 

[Psymon138]

Helping others with no expectation of reward or selectiveness of beneficiary.

 

[orangeapples]

Good - An opinion of how much something is appreciated. The stage above average.

If you look at the following ranking where the higher it is on the chart the better it is, and vice versa the lower it is on the chart the worse it is.

Best
Better
Good
Average
Bad
Worse
Worst

 

[Brandon237]

some thing thats beneficent to some one
i guess

Helping others with no expectation of reward or selectiveness of beneficiary.

Very subtle difference between these two, which makes the first potentially evil, and the second a uhh... good definition of good[footnote]Fine, it is an excellent description and any person who follows it as a rule throughout their lives is an exemplary being worthy of the highest level of recognition for good and benevolent deeds[footnote]Noble peace prize if you didn't see what I was going at[/footnote]. Happy internet?[/footnote].

Although I would add to that that the help cannot be given in such a way that it allows the harm of more innocent people than it aids, and that it cannot knowingly be help to a cruel or selfish cause or entity.

 

[EightGaugeHippo]

Morally acceptable.

 

[Indeterminacy]

The first thing that pops into your head.

Excess of virtue. To be Good is to act in line with function beyond the bare minimum necessary to achieve a particular intensional goal. For instance, a hammer hits a nail into a bit of wood - a good hammer makes it easy to do so. A bird of prey eats small mammals - a good bird of prey does so without expending as much energy as it gains by eating it.

Goodness in people is tricky, because it requires understanding what it means to act virtuously in a general sense. A good plumber, a good telesales operator, or a good politician, are easy to quantify in their virtues qua that particular role, but to what extent does our job or our social role define us as a person?

If we accept that mankind is a social animal, then our social success constitutes our goodness. If we think mankind is a thinking or reasoning animal, then our intellectual success constitute our goodness.

Controversy emerges when we try to think some functions of humanity are privileged, and goodness simpliciter makes sense when we talk about people. I don't think it does, whatever Aristotle or Christianity might say.

Then read what everyone else said.

Then argue about it amongst yourselves like you love to do, internet.

Woo! Internet Argument!

 

[Disaster Button]

Not bad.

 

[Dango]

Done with the intention to help others.

 

[CrashBang]

Ooh, I like this thread!

Being kind to others, not dealing out harm or upset to anyone else, helpfulness, sharing your good spirits, like in that Coke advert

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

Good is obeying moral laws and not depriving someone of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. Also, not kicking kittens.

 

[Thespian]

Good denotes something that is beneficial to something you apply value to in your life. Be that your own wellbeing, your principles, adopted philosophies, loved ones or material goods.

 

[L3m0n_L1m3]

Nutella. Yum.

I'll go get some right now, in fact!

 

[smegmar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2r1KaB15ck

you should watch this.

 

[Zaik]

While we're still on the first page, why do so many of you jump to the moral concept? Very few of you even touch on the possibility of quality or personal preference, and only one or two of you seems to have done so without throwing some moral bit in.

For a word used to represent so many different ideas, why is morality the first thing popping into so many people's heads, exactly?

 

[2fish]

An attempt to rationalize ones actions.

Yes I killed 10,000 people but it was for a good cause.

 

[Citizen Snips]

The good is attributed to performing the function it was designed for.

A good hammer drives the nail efficiently.
A good axe splits wood in two in a single hit.
A good person is a virtuous person.

Aristotle would argue that these are minor goods, and we are actually searching for the highest good. For this good to be considered it would have to meet three criteria: It is desirable for itself, it is not desirable for the sake of some other good, and all other goods are desirable for its sake.

 

[WayOutThere]

The first thing that pops into your head.

Alright then, good is that which creates a net gain in happiness for humanity.

Edit: Humanity or other animals

While we're still on the first page, why do so many of you jump to the moral concept? Very few of you even touch on the possibility of quality or personal preference, and only one or two of you seems to have done so without throwing some moral bit in.

For a word used to represent so many different ideas, why is morality the first thing popping into so many people's heads, exactly?

Good point. With that in mind what do I think good is? Come to think of it, my definition may apply outside the moral sphere. To explain, a knife that cuts with ease is a good knife because it performs its intended purpose well. This isn't about morality but, as its performing its fuction well produces a net gain in happiness ("I'm happy that this knife works so well"), my definition can still apply to it. Hmm...I think that makes sense.