Plato On the Nature of The Good Mind Analogy of the Sun The Sun The Good is… that makes… to the … through the power of… by providing … a visible object objects visible eye sight light an intelligible object objects intelligible soul understanding truth The tree above is the visible object, the Forms (Universals) are the intelligible objects that the Good shines on. Both the Sun and the Good create their objects. http://www.boisestate.edu/people/troark/didactics/ancient/materials/Line_Sun.pdf

Aquinas On the Nature of The Good God = Being = The Good Angels Humans Animals Plants Rocks Mud? Formless Matter The Great Chain of Being Actuality Potentiality Aquinas gets the chain from Plotinus (his student, Porphyry), Augustine, Boethius, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, and others, and adds to it

Great Chain of Being The Chain is characterized by … Gradation: the chain is composed of better and worse beings forming a linear hierarchy Plenitude: the class of beings comprises all possible beings Continuity: there are no gaps in the Chain (see Peter Suber’s page) and is governed by the Principle of Sufficient Reason (from nothing, nothing comes … a cause must have as much or more reality than its effect) Benedict Spinoza: Since existing is something positive, we cannot say that it has nothing as its cause (by Axiom 7 [ex nihilo, nihil fit]). Therefore we must assign some positive cause, or reason, why [a thing] exists—either an external one, i.e., one outside the thing itself, or an internal one, one comprehended in the nature and definition of the existing thing itself (Geb. I/158/4–9) This link is just for your edification Read just the introduction from this link Consider Modal Argument for Existence of God Read a recent article about whether something can come from nothing here.

Pseudo-Dionysius on Self-Diffusion of The Good ? Universe(s) Angels Humans Argument, loosely, from Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (early Christian Neo-Platonist around 500 CE): There is no contradiction in supposing an all-knowing being does not share its knowledge. There is no contradiction in supposing an all-powerful being does not share its power. But there seems to be a contradiction in supposing an all-good being does not share its goodness. Therefore, an all-good being must share its goodness. Sharing goodness requires a plurality of beings (persons?). An all-good being must itself be a plurality of beings (persons?), or create other beings (persons?) with whom to share its goodness

Pseudo-Dionysius on Self-Diffusion of The Good An all-good being must itself be a plurality of beings (persons?), or create other beings (persons?) with whom to share its goodness So, does this Self-Diffusion principle imply that the ultimate being must be a plurality of persons (2, 3, or more … God, who emanates ‘the son’ & ‘the holy spirit’ ? ) or does it imply that the ultimate being must create a universe (or a multiverse)?

Great Chain of Being A few interesting links (various quality). Lovejoy’s book is considered the classic treatment: Dr. Kip Wheeler’s Page Wikipedia’s bit The Great Chain in Shakespeare The Great Chain of Being, by A. O. Lovejoy