What is Good?

I'm teaching a philosophy class to undergraduates this semester.
The other day we were talking about the summum bonum, the greatest good.
We were pursuing the idea that a person needs a good reason to do some work or action.
This idea led me into a long drawn out thought process over the idea of "good."

So, I ask you my friends, "What is good?"

All of us have some idea of "good" as opposed to something we consider "bad" or even "evil."

From what source do we as humans find in our minds the idea of "good"?

Is it innate? Is it learned? Is it intrinsic to human life and experience? Do we "make up" our own ideas of "good?"

The answer to that last question is a qualified "no." Qualified because while it may be true that different cultures or different people groups value different things as "good" or "bad," the fact remains that all humans make that distinction. That is, we all differentiate between "good" and "not good." All of us! Yes, even when George W. Bush was criticized for talking about "evil" groups that support terrorism, the folks critizing him were differentiating between the "goodness" or "evilness" of his statement. In other words, we all "know" that there is a difference between "good" and "not good."

From what source does that difference spring?

For me, it can only be because God differentiates between "good" and "not good" in his creation. We got it from Abba, our Father. It seems to me that the concept of "good" is to some degree at least inherent in the human person. It is a part of us. Defining it is a whole different game. Thanks for coming along for the ride. May you have a "good" day!