This idea dates all the way back to Plato, though Thomas Aquinas also leans heavily on it in his work. It has a lot to do with what the intrinsic definition of good is. So let me momentarily take a tangent to talk about that:
A lot of the ideas about good are developed in contrast - by what is bad. Most of us would think that having an arm lopped off is bad, or to extrapolate further that any reduction in our native capabilities is bad. Good, then, must be the fulfillment of native capabilities... the highest good is arguably something that has achieved perfection.
This leads us to the question of what a perfect being is like. Or, to simplify the question, a perfect human. A perfect human is not only physically perfect, but also mentally and socially. He is not inactive - he engages in human endeavors, and does them perfectly. We might say the same for any living thing. Perfection, and therefore good, entails activity, not just existance.
So what kind of acts does a good and perfect person perform? Why, good and perfect ones, of course! Since we've already concluded that good in a general sense can be thought of as becoming 'more perfect' instead of 'less perfect', these good acts from good beings must necessarily produce good results for whatever it is that they are acting on.
Thus we see that part of BEING good is DOING good and increasing the amount of good all around. This is the idea of self-diffusiveness of good - good instrinsically and necessarily shares and spreads.
2006-08-15 12:50:39
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answer #1
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answered by Doctor Why 7
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2006-08-14 23:17:50
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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