When we hear the word "good", the imagination immediately begins to draw something warm, bright and fluffy. However, not everyone is able to say exactly what this means. Subconsciously, we understand that this is something good, but the definition of the word "good" is always ignored. So let's try to fix this situation.
The concept of the word "good"
The word itself is interpreted by different dictionaries. In particular, this concept is available in the explanatory dictionaries of Ozhegov and Dahl.
“Good” definition according to Ozhegov has the following:
- Good means something positive and useful. A process, action or word that can be opposed to evil. Also called good property, valuables. In some cases, good means consent. For example, give the green light to something, that is, allow a certain action.
In the explanatory dictionary of Kuznetsov there is also an answer to the question of what is good. The definition is as follows:
- Good is actions that are for the good. That is, everything that brings good and does no harm can be called good.
The Dahl dictionary also has the word "good." The definition is as follows:
- In a spiritual sense, good can be defined as good. This, in turn, means something useful and honest, which requires human duty.
From the pages of philosophy
It is worth noting that concepts such as good and evil are in the field of the study of philosophy and ethics. Therefore, to the question "What is good?" a definition from philosophy will answer best. In the broadest sense, good as a good means:
- A valuable understanding that expresses the positive value of something in its relation to standard norms.
- A standard that complies with accepted standards in society, expectations and needs.
The very word "good" in the process of human development did not lose its true meaning, but at times it was used in different dialects, denoting material goods or freedom of action.
Ethical standards
Being the subject of research on ethical disciplines, the word has another definition:
- Good is a category of ethical research that positively evaluates a behavior, phenomenon, or event. This is good: moral, correct, affirmative, which has a positive beginning. It is opposed to "evil", something destructive and negative.
It is natural for human nature to desire good and beauty. Everyone acutely feels the need for something good that can bring him happiness. To wish for something good is not a hypothetical phenomenon, but an inborn need of human nature, which is constant and stable.
The word "good", the definition of which is given above, is not the final point of the study. Fortunately, as a special element, it is present in different spheres of human life, acquiring a slightly different meaning.
Varieties of "good"
Depending on the state in which a person is at a certain moment, what is missing is considered good. For example:
- Health. Sometimes the word "good" is determined by the situation in which the person is. For example, if he is sick, then good means health. But when the disease recedes, then the concept of health from the category of "higher good" turns into a self-evident phenomenon.
- Wealth and honor. As a good, many people wish material wealth, and only having acquired them, people understand that financial opportunities do not fully correspond to the highest human needs.
- Power and recognition. Having risen above the ordinary on the wheel of Fortune and descending to the starting point, a person realizes that power is a fleeting phenomenon, the light of a star that will sooner or later go out. Having no power, a man longs for it, but having achieved what he wants and having lost, he realizes that such phenomena are not good.
- Knowledge. Having deep knowledge in a certain field, a person cannot consider them a common good, because these are nothing more than intellectual goods. Spiritual needs in this case remain unsatisfied.
- Friendship. The sublime form of friendship, without a doubt, affects the deepest areas of human life, nevertheless, intellectual and other needs remain without attention.
There are many similar examples. It is human nature to take for "good" what he lacks. However, such an approach reveals the word rather one-sidedly.
From good to kindness
Thus, by good we can mean all that is good, valuable, and moral, which satisfies all aspects of human life. It would be logical to assume that a question arises, good - which one?
The word “good” has a definition similar to the word “good”:
- Bringing others good, benefit, joy and prosperity. Good people can be those who respond free of charge to the needs of the surrounding world, and actions that bring moral satisfaction to both sides.
Summing up, we can say the following: good is the highest form of perception of the world and the creation of the environment. Desires that satisfy all human needs without harming others. Actions, words and thoughts that benefit the social environment and its “creator” are considered good, and the good itself is an inborn need for which all life aspires.