summum bonum

philosophy

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July 14, 2026

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The term "summum bonum" is Latin for "supreme good". In philosophy, it refers to the highest good from which all other goods are derived. For Aristotle, this supreme good is eudaimonia, often translated as "happiness" or "flourishing". However, eudaimonia is not merely a feeling of contentment but an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue and reason. It represents living well and fulfilling one's characteristic human function, which Aristotle identified as the capacity to reason. This state is achieved through the cultivation of both intellectual and moral virtues over a complete life.123

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ethics
St. Thomas Aquinas and the Scholastics
…an ultimate end, or goal—a summum bonum—at which all human action is directed; and, like Aristotle, he conceived of this end as necessarily connected with happiness. This conception was Christianized, however, by the idea that happiness is to be found in the love of God. Thus, a person seeks to…
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…an ultimate end, or goal—a summum bonum—at which all human action is directed; and, like Aristotle, he conceived of this end as necessarily connected with happiness. This conception was Christianized, however, by the idea that happiness is to be found in the love of God. Thus, a person seeks to…
Read More