Since the beginning of time, man has wondered about goodness. Philosophers throughout the ages have asked various questions about the nature of goodness, what is right and wrong, how one goes about obtaining happiness, and what basic moral principals are worth following. From early Sophists to modern philosophers such as Emmanuel Levinas, the nature of goodness has been a concern for many key thinkers throughout the ages. Though several philosophers agree on certain principals in this regard, a rich variety of theories have been formulated throughout time, many of which contradict or disagree with one another. This is part of what makes goodness such an interesting topic of discussion and study. Plato, a well-known Greek philosopher, was in awe of the good, and held it in high esteem. Consequently, he studied the nature of goodness at length, and came up with several noteworthy philosophies.

Before delving into the origin of goodness and the path to reach it, Plato considered the meaning of the term ‘good’. There are several things in this world that do not have identity by themselves, but are nonetheless omnipresent in all we know and do. “Truth, and goodness, and beauty, are but different faces of the same All” Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, indicated three of such entities. Plato thought of goodness this way - it is everywhere, but exists nowhere on its own; it is a characteristic that defines many things, but it is not an identity in and of itself. After establishing this definition of the good, Plato went on to dictate methods by which one can become closely acquainted with the good. "Until philosophers become kings, or kings become philosophers, humanity would not be free from trouble." Here, Plato underlines his profound belief that philosophers – and all those who contemplate goodness – are the most intelligent and good of all those in society. He believed that rationality and thinking formed the stepping-stones in the path to goodness, and that it was a just and righteous man who chose such a path. “If one devalues rationality, the world tends to fall apart,” said Lars von Trier, illustrating perfectly the sentiments of Plato.

Another aspect of his search for the good was the exploration of ‘ideal forms’. Plato was of the opinion that what is real need also be eternal and unchanging, and because our physical world is neither, it must be illusory. To counter this, Plato decided there must be a realm in which all things are unchanging and eternal, wherein lies one ideal, universal, good form of all that we see on earth. The objects, people, animals, plants, and even abstract concepts such as justice and beauty that we encounter everyday are mere imperfect, changing replicas of one unchanging, perfect, universal form. His search for the good, then, did not end at rationality – he felt that good, ideal forms of everything we encounter are present in another realm.

To say that Plato was an idealist with no interest in the real world, however, would be a tragically misguided statement. In his best-known work, The Republic, Plato outlines his vision for a utopian society in which the population is separated clearly into three different groups – leaders, soldiers and commoners. The leaders were to be a well-educated, wealthy segment of society, endowed from birth with the power and training to become strong rulers. The soldiers were to cultivate physical strength, ingenuity and craftsmanship, while the commoners were expected to maintain society from the ground up, growing food, building houses, fashioning weaponry for the soldiers, and filling all other necessary positions. In Plato’s vision, no segment of society was any better than the other – the ideal citizen was one who uses his or her talents to the greatest good, be that a ruler who used his rationality to make beneficial decisions for his people, or a commoner who used his skill at farming to cultivate a large harvest to distribute to others for food. Plato felt that this structure of society, though totalitarian in nature, would be strong, organized, and bring the greatest good to the people. Indeed, he dictated that this form of society existed in the realm of all good, ideal, universal forms.

As with all philosophers, Plato’s views did not go without contention.  Sophism, a school of philosophy that denied the presence of objective truth (and therefore, objective morals), brought Plato’s theories about the good into question. Is there such thing as a universal ‘good’?  The Sophists argued that there is not, and morals are established on an individual or societal level, through either personal rules to live by, or civil law. Suddenly the good did not seem like the omnipresent, omnipotent entity Plato made it to be.

Nonetheless, Plato remained one of the most well-known and highly regarded philosophers of all time. Born in Greece in 428 BC, Plato was one of many students educated by Socrates – a philosopher famous for his persistent berating and questioning of all those he encountered. Because Socrates wrote nothing down, it is difficult to tell which of Plato’s writings are mere dictations of his teacher’s ideas, and which writings contain his genuine thoughts and philosophies. Nevertheless, works of Plato such as ‘The Dialogues’ and ‘The Republic’ are still immensely popular, highly regarded works of philosophical inquiry, remarkable for their relevance to the modern reader. Throughout his life, Plato achieved a great deal, including founding the first Western university, educating Aristotle – who has since become a well-known thinker in his own right, and establishing a great deal of philosophical theories that are very much a part of the modern man’s consciousness. 

“No evil can happen to a good man,” said Plato “either in life or after death.” Though Plato’s musings about goodness were often infected with this characteristic idealized language, his theories were rousing and sound in their own right. Goodness is not its own identity, but it is in everything; ideal, good forms of everything exist in a heaven-like realm; there are good ways that we can behave and organize our societies; through contemplation and reason, we can obtain the good. These theories are not simply inspirational, they are useful guidelines by which any man or woman can search for, find, and live through the good. “Good actions give strength to ourselves,” Plato tells us, “and inspire good actions in others.”