Summum-bonum meaning

so͝om'əm bō'nəm
The greatest or supreme good.
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The highest, or supreme, good.
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(philosophy) The greatest good; the ultimate importance, the singular and most ultimate end which human beings ought to pursue.
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Origin of summum-bonum

  • Latin summum neuter of summus highest bonum good
    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
  • From medieval philosophy; Latin for the highest good.
    From Wiktionary

Summum-bonum Sentence Examples

  • It is true that pleasure is the summum bonum of Epicurus, but his conception of that pleasure is profoundly modified by the Socratic doctrine of prudence and the eudaemonism of Aristotle.

  • His views on the summum bonum are not clearly known even to his disciple and successor Clitomachus.

  • If, however, we abandon intuitional ethics, it is reasonable to argue that the term summum bonum ceases to have any real significance inasmuch as actions are not intrinsically good or bad, while the complete sceptic strives after no systematic ideal.

  • Aristotle, who speaks highly of the sincerity of Eudoxus's convictions, while giving a qualified approval to his arguments, considers him wrong in not distinguishing the different kinds of pleasure and in making pleasure the summum bonum.

  • The summum bonum is the maximum of pleasure with the minimum of pain.

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Words near summum-bonum in the Dictionary