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Full Idea
'Do you mean by good those things that are beneficial to men?' 'Not only those. I call some things which are not beneficial good as well'.
Gist of Idea
Some things are good even though they are not beneficial to men
Source
Plato (Protagoras [c.380 BCE], 333e)
Book Ref
Plato: 'Protagoras and Meno', ed/tr. Guthrie,W K C [Penguin 1956], p.67
A Reaction
Examples needed, but this would be bad news for utilitarians. Good health is not seen as beneficial if it is taken for granted. Not being deaf.
| 193 | Some things are good even though they are not beneficial to men [Plato] |
| 26 | Wealth is not the good, because it is only a means [Aristotle] |
| 19752 | If we should not mistreat humans, it is mainly because of sentience, not rationality [Rousseau] |
| 20278 | 'Marginal utility' says something is more useful if it is in short supply [Singer] |
| 3786 | Aggression in defence may be beneficial but morally corrupting [Glover] |