1. Plato On the Nature of The Good The SunThe Good http://www.boisestate.edu/people/troark/didactics/ancient/materials/Line_Sun.pdf is… that makes… to the … through the power of… by providing … an intelligible object objects intelligible soul understanding truth a visible object objects visible eye sight light 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. The Good Mind Analogy of the Sun

2. The Good Substance Quality Place Position Action Quantity Relation Time Possession Passion as a transcendental property Socratesis white is one is a friend to Plato is in Athens it is noon is seated has a toga is speaking is being spoken to Is it odd that ‘good’ can be predicated in any of the 10 categories? Aristotle On the Nature of The Good

3. Pseudo-Dionysius on Self-Diffusion of The Good The Good FatherSonHoly Spirit Argument, loosely, from Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite: 1.There is no contradiction in supposing an all-knowing being does not share his knowledge. 2.There is no contradiction in supposing an all-powerful being does not share its power. 3.But there seems to be a contradiction in supposing an all-good being does not share its goodness. 4.Therefore, an all-good being must share its goodness. 5.Sharing goodness requires a plurality of persons. 6.An all-good being must itself be a plurality of persons (as above), or create other persons with whom to share its goodness

4. 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

5. Great Chain of Being The Chain is characterized by … Gradation Plenitude Continuity and is governed by the Principle of Sufficient Reason 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