The Concept of Good in Francisco Suárez’ Metaphysical Disputations

Abstract

The concept of Good (bonum) is one of the most complicated and multifaceted concepts in the philosophical and theological European tradition. Disputationes Metaphysicae by Francisco Suá rez (1548‒1617) treat it strictly from the point of view of the First Philosophy, namely as one of the transcendental, i.e. supracategorical, attributes of Being as such. Therefore, the problem of Good in Suá rez’ view is elevated from the level of practical philosophy (ethics) to a higher level of contemplative philosophy (metaphysics). Suá rez attempts, fi rstly, to reveal the nature of Good as such; secondly, to relate all kinds of Good — despite their apparent heterogeneity — to the transcendental Good as the highest and primordial form of bonum; thirdly, to explain the mututal convertibility of Good and Being. Suá rez solves this task through the conceptual analysis of the particular kinds of Good and through identifi cation of analogical relations between them.

Keywords

• The concept of good in Francisco Sua rez’ Disputationes Metaphysicae