The Summum Bonum

• What is the summum bonum?

  • the highest supreme good
  • culmination of Kant's ethics
• What is a postulate?

  a presupposition or assumption which you must have accepted in order to make sense of your choices
• What are the three postulates of practical reason?

  • God
  • Freedom
  • Immortality
• 'Ought implies can'


  Kant's view that the force of the moral ought implies we can do our moral duty
• What is the highest good?

  the joining of virtue and happiness
• What is the starting point and why?

  Virtue is the starting point because it is the virtuous person who possesses the good will
• Happiness is an optional bonus
• Morality is internal 


  concerns the good will
• If you seek the summum bonum, you should assume what?

  should assume that the achievement is at least possible
• Helps answer the question of radical evil
• Perfect happiness cannot be achieved in this life - therefore there must be immortality in which the summum bonum can be achieved