The virtue of “goodness” is difficult to pin down. The concept of goodness tends to be self-referential. One dictionary defines goodness as the state or quality of being good. Another defines goodness as virtue, which has to do with doing good. The problem goes back to our Judeo-Christian roots. In the Old Testament, the root tovah, is defined as “good, well-pleasing, proper, or morally correct.” In the New Testament, the Greek word areté is defined as “moral goodness, i.e. virtue.”
Goodness also tends to be defined in terms of other virtues such as generosity, kindness, self-control and moral excellence. These, in turn, are virtues because they are generally judged to be good. See what I mean? Ernest Hemingway inadvertently captured this dilemma (and introduced another) when he said, “What is moral is what you feel good about after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.” Hemingway assumes a conscience trained to judge according to shared social values rather than overt hedonism.
Recognizing an act as good or virtuous is subject to value judgments. One person may assert that lying is bad. Another may point out that lying to thwart an evil intent is good. Some believe that sex is the original sin and should be reserved for procreation. However, studies of older couples have documented consistent results such as: “older spouses who said they had sexual activity were more likely to say they had fulfilling lives and marriages” and “older women who have an active sex life reported being happier and having a better quality of life.” This all sounds like a good thing.
So, instead of getting into philosophical fine points, let us simply corral goodness in a cloud of words that we often find associated with the concept: fine, noble, truth, chaste, just, glad, admirable, well, prosperity, bounty. It starts to become apparent that goodness is typical of those things that you would want to receive to yourself and, of course, everything that you might do to or for a friend or neighbor (as if for yourself).
While we’re talking about the goodness of good works, new branches of medicine and psychology has been increasingly studying happiness, positive living, and emotional health instead of the usual focus on psychological pathology. It should not be surprising that this work confirms our most ancient judgments that name, as heroes and saints, people who practice selfless sacrifice in behalf of the welfare of others.
Studies of gene expression reveal the health impact of self-gratification vs. social service. Selfishness and hedonism produce chemicals related to damaging stress and inflammation along with a weaker immune system. Other people, who maintain strong social connections and an ethic of community service, produced more healthful, anti-inflammatory, and immune-boosting chemicals. Choices that increase individual health, while also serving others and building community health, surely do sound good and virtuous.
This is an excerpt from “Family and Community Values in American Culture: Forming a More Perfect Union” to be published in 2014 by David Satterlee. Excerpts from other books of essays, short stories by this author are available at http://DavidSatterlee.com