The Summum Bonum

The Summum Bonum

1. Kant referred to the highest good as the summum bonus. The highest good was the best possible good and he saw this as comprising of virtue and happiness. Kant was aware that the basic ideas behind his ethical system are 'postulates', by which he meant things we assume or take for granted as being the case. Kant identified three postulates for his ethical system: freedom, immortality and the existence of God. He argued that:

   • >1. Our moral experience shows that we are under an obligation to achieve goodness or virtue, and not merely an 'average' level of mortality but the highest standard possible. If we recognise the 'ought' and the 'can', then we must also postulate freedom to act accordingly to our duty because mortality without freedom would be illogical.
     • >2. Beyond this, we recognise also that true virtue should be rewarded by happiness, for it would not be a rationally satisfying state of affairs if happiness came to the unvirtuous or unhappiness to the virtuous. If people were virtuous but were also in pain and misery, their virtue would still be valuable but, nevertheless, the total situation would not be the best possible.
       • >3. The desired state of affairs in which human beings are both virtuous and happy is called by Kant the 'summum bonum' (highest good). This we recognise to be what ought to happen.
         • >4. Now, in Kant's famous argument, 'ought' implies 'can'. This meas that an obligation to achieve something implies the possibility that the goal can be achieved (otherwise there can be no obligation). It has to be possible, therefore, for the summum bonum to be achieved.
           • .>5. However,, while humans can achieve virtue, it is outside their power to ensure that virtue is rewarded or coincides with happiness. Such proportioning clearly does not take place before death, so Kant also argued that there must be survival after death. The summum bonum must therefore be achieved in a different life or world and so supposes the existence of life after death (immortality).
             • >6. Thus there also is a need to postulate the existence of God as the one who has the power to bring virtue and happiness into harmony in that next life. This is the only way that fairness will be achieved in the universe with virtue and happiness harmonised.

2. 1. Kant referred to the highest good as the summum bonum.

   • 2. Kant identified 3 postulates: freedom, immortality and existence of God.
     • 3. Moral experince shows we should aim for the highest standard of goodness. We must be free to do our duty because mortality without freedom is illogical.
       • 4. True goodness will be rewarded with happiness. If people were good but not happy then its not an ideal situation.
         • 5. Its humans experience that good people are not always happy in this life therefore must be life after death so that the summum bonum can be reached.
           • 6. If life after death exists so must God, He is the only person who can bring about the summum bonum.

3. Note that Kant was not arguing that mortality is invalid if God's existence is denied. For Kant, the fact that something is a duty or obligation is sufficient reason to do it. However, he thought that God was demanded if the goal of mortality was to be realised.