Skip to main content
Log in

What is the Good/ Good of the FORM of the GOOD?

  • Published:
Sophia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

‘Good’ is nothing specific but is transcendentally or generally applied over specific, and specified, ‘categories’. These ‘categories’ may be seen—at least for the purposes of this note—as under Platonic Forms. The rule that instances under a category or form need a Form to be under is valid. It may be tautological: but this is OK for rules. Not being specific, however, ‘good’ neither needs nor can have a specifying Form. So, on these grounds, the Form of the Good is otious. Any rule of the kind, ‘Everything needs a Form, so good needs a Form of the Good’ is mistaken, in that good is not a kind, but a transcendental. To give a Form to the transcendental ‘good’ is a mistake: it is a Rylian category mistake. And the Form of the Good either does no work, or works unprofitably in any but an aesthetic sense.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrick Hutchings.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hutchings, P. What is the Good/ Good of the FORM of the GOOD?. SOPHIA 48, 413–417 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11841-009-0136-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11841-009-0136-1

Keywords

Navigation