Thomistic Philosophy
Click on any item in the outline that has an arrow icon ( ⤵ ) to reveal more information about it:

Thomistic Metaphysics
Good and Evil

GOOD : (a.k.a. GOODNESS or PERFECTION) THAT WHICH IS SUITABLE FOR DESIRE
Note: "Perfection" is sometimes be used synonymously with "good," though it sometimes more narrowly refers to the fulfillment of a thing's nature   Click to Expand ⤵

  1. Ontological Good (a.k.a. Metaphysical Good or Transcendental Good)
    Good as synonymous with Being (and so, the more Being a thing has, the more ontologically good it is, thus making all Being desirable in some sense)
    Note: The other kinds of "good" are all ultimately based off this   ⤵
    1. Positive Good (a.k.a. Positive Perfection)
      That which gives some kind of ontological good to a thing (i.e. it gives a thing more being)
      (e.g. having knowledge)
    2. Negative Good (a.k.a. Negative Perfection or "A perfection that implies an imperfection")
      That which gives both a positive perfection to a thing but also makes it necessarily lack some other kind of positive perfection as well (i.e. it gives a thing some kind of being but also prevents it from having another kind of being)
      (e.g. being material is a negative good because, while it implies some existence, a material thing necessarily exists in one place and not others, thus lacking being in places where it is not; being able to move oneself is a negative good because, while such a thing has the power to go places, it also implies that it does not exist everywhere, for motion requires a thing to not exist at its destination prior to it moving there)

  2. Natural Good (a.k.a. Physical Good)
    An ontological good that is specially suited to fulfill a specific thing's nature (i.e. something that perfects the being of a certain kind of thing)
    Note: This kind of good is relative because one thing can be a natural good to some things and not to others (in fact, it may even be a natural evil to some)
    (e.g. food is a natural good for animals; ink is a natural good for pens; sunlight is a natural good for plants but not for many types of mushrooms)
  3. Moral Good
    An action (or avoidance of a certain action) by a rational creature that helps in the fulfillment of that rational creature's nature (thus, arguably, a special kind of natural good)
    (e.g. choosing to give money to the poor, which would not only help the poor but would help fulfill the giver's nature, since loving others is part of human happiness)

EVIL : (a.k.a. BAD or IMPERFECTION) THE PRIVATION OF GOOD (i.e. not just a lack of something good but an absence of a good that should exist in a thing but does not, thus preventing the fulfillment of that thing's nature)
Note: "Imperfection" is sometimes used synonymously with "evil," though it can also refer to a mere lack of perfection/good in a thing instead of a deprivation of perfection/good (and so, in that sense, imperfections are not necessarily "evil")   Click to Expand ⤵
  1. Ontological Evil (a.k.a. Metaphysical Evil or Transcendental Evil)
    The supposed privation of ontological good, the result of which is simply non-being since ontological good is convertible with being (therefore, ontological evil does not exist)
  2. Natural Evil (a.k.a. Physical Evil)
    A thing that detracts from the fulfillment of another thing's nature (i.e. something that causes imperfection in the being of a certain kind of thing)
    Note: This kind of evil is relative because one thing can be a natural evil to some things and not to others (in fact, it may even be a natural good to some)
    (e.g. dying is a natural evil to a living creature, as it reduces the being of the creature that it needs to be living; eating grapes is a natural evil for dogs as it makes them sick, unlike humans, unless perhaps a human has an allergy to them or whatnot)
  3. Moral Evil
    An action (or avoidance of a certain action) by a rational creature that detracts from the fulfillment of that rational creature's nature (thus, arguably, a special kind of natural evil)
    (e.g. choosing to murder someone, which would not only reduce the being of the victim but also of the murderer, since doing so goes against human nature)