For Goodness' Sake

In his essay Is Thinking Good for its Own Sake? Clifford Williams presents the idea that some things in life, such as beauty, are intrinsically good. He defines ‘intrinsic goodness’ as a goodness that has no usefulness – it does not do anything, but is good in and of itself. It is the means and the end; it is good simply because it is good. 

In my own life, I can see this principle playing into many things I enjoy and do. I’ve been asked to come up with a list of twenty examples. In no particular order and varying degrees of specificity, they are:

• 1.      Listening to classical music and looking for the intricacies in it
• 2.      Reading a good book, fiction and non-fiction
• 3.      Stargazing
• 4.      Discussing the principles behind quantum physics (or anything else super intellectual) with my uber-genius dad
• 5.      Listing to the sound of rustling leaves
• 6.      Playing with colors on Photoshop
• 7.      Doodling
• 8.      Exploring fictional worlds through books/movies
• 9.      Writing stories
• 10.  Eating my mom’s cooking (definitely intrinsically good)
• 11.  Researching random topics (such as black holes or Irish mythology) out of pure curiosity
• 12.  Dancing around to music when no one’s looking.
• 13.  Playing with animals (especially cute puppies)
• 14.  Spending time with friends and family
• 15.  Drinking a good cup of tea or coffee (POUR JONS!)
• 16.  Thinking about pretty much anything I find interesting for hours at a time.
• 17.  Appreciating the far-reaching and provoking truths found in history.
• 18.  Playing games (20 questions!) with my sisters
• 19.  Singing with my sisters
• 20.  Dreaming

Now, while I’m positive that a large number of these have a debatable amount of ‘intrinsic’ goodness, there are things that I truly delight in that, isolated from any utilitarian purpose they may achieve, and, I think, I can truly honor God in doing all of these things.

I’ve also been challenged to participate in at least one of these things this week. Maybe, I’ll make a habit of taking part in these ‘intrinsically good’ activities every so often; I’m sure I will have a great time doing so. And by God’s grace, my life may be that much richer for it.

Final Thoughts:

1. What if we disagree with someone over what is and isn’t ‘intrinsically good’? What objective standard, as Christians, can we refer to in the grey areas?

2. Is the knowledge and recognition of intrinsic goodness intrinsically good?