Principles: The Good

I've found that the classical definition is the simplest, and the clearest. It was a commonplace even for Aristotle, so I'll let him state it:

The good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim. (Nich.Eth. I.1)

We'll set aside (for the moment, at least) the question of goods for creatures other than human beings, and just concentrate on the human good.

The two main features of this definition are:

• The Good is a goal, or an end, toward which we aim
• The Good is universal; everyone aims for it

So, traditionally, the name given to this Good which everyone aims for is "happiness".

But this happiness is not the ephemeral delights of pleasure, or the escapist flight into fantasy, or the passionate intensity of infatuation. Rather, this happiness is the goal of the whole of our lives: it is that peace and joy of being who and what you really are and are meant to be. It is simply recognizing what is real, and desiring reality over escape or deception.

To love the Good is simply to love what is real, and to aim at the fullest life possible in the real world.

To be happy is simply to live in accordance with reality, and to love the Good.

Living this way gets as complicated as the myriad situations of each individual life; but the foundation is really that simple. "Keep it real" is perhaps the best advice for living a better life.