more from this thinker
|
more from this text
Single Idea 8105
[filed under theme 28. God / A. Divine Nature / 6. Divine Morality / c. God is the good
]
Full Idea
If we exclude the idea of God, it is impossible to have an exact idea of virtue.
Gist of Idea
We can't exactly conceive virtue without the idea of God
Source
Joseph Joubert (Notebooks [1800], 1808)
Book Ref
Joubert,Joseph: 'Notebooks', ed/tr. Auster,Paul [nyrb 2005], p.130
A Reaction
I suspect that an 'exact' idea is impossible even with an idea of God. This is an interesting defence of the importance of God in moral thinking, but it only requires the concept of a supreme being, and not belief.
The
14 ideas
with the same theme
[view of morality as identical with God]:
|
1662
|
A new concept of God as unswerving goodness emerges from Socrates' commitment to virtue
[Vlastos on Socrates]
|
|
2058
|
God must be the epitome of goodness, and we can only approach a divine state by being as good as possible
[Plato]
|
|
6291
|
No one is good except God
[Jesus]
|
|
8141
|
He that does evil has not seen God
[John]
|
|
5757
|
God is the supreme good, so no source of goodness could take precedence over God
[Boethius]
|
|
5758
|
God is the good
[Boethius]
|
|
4825
|
To say that God promotes what is good is false, as it sets up a goal beyond God
[Spinoza]
|
|
6250
|
We say God is good if we think everything he does aims at the happiness of his creatures
[Hutcheson]
|
|
8105
|
We can't exactly conceive virtue without the idea of God
[Joubert]
|
|
23816
|
Attention to a transcendent reality motivates a duty to foster the good of humanity
[Weil]
|
|
23754
|
The only choice is between supernatural good, or evil
[Weil]
|
|
22345
|
Moral philosophy needs a central concept with all the traditional attributes of God
[Murdoch]
|
|
20702
|
The goodness of God may be a higher form than the goodness of moral agents
[Davies,B]
|