summum bonum
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From medieval philosophy; Latin for the highest good.
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
summum bonum (plural summa bona)
- (philosophy) The greatest good; the ultimate importance, the singular and most ultimate end which human beings ought to pursue.
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, New York Review of Books 2001, p. 65:
- Our summum bonum is commodity, and the goddess we adore Dea Moneta, Queen Money, to whom we daily offer sacrifice [...].
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, New York Review of Books 2001, p. 65:
[edit] Usage notes
The term is used particularly in medieval philosophy.
[edit] See also
Summum bonum on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
summum bonum in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.
[edit] Latin
[edit] Etymology
From summus (“superaltive of superus”) + bonum (“a moral good”)
[edit] Noun
- (medieval, philosophy) The highest good; an ultimate goal of human existence.
