Morality

Let's examine the nature of good and evil, of progress, or even just the word better. Even the most nihilistic of secularists, the most cynical of modern views, will speak of progress and that which is better. There is an inescapable and undeniable moral law written in our hearts. We can't quite explain why, but some things really are better than others.

However, if there is no objective knowable truth, then there cannot be an objective knowable morality. In that case what's good for you may not be good for someone else. The word "better" would have no objective meaning without a universal moral truth at the foundation.

By denying objective knowable truth, we inevitably seek to turn ourselves into gods worthy of the moral law written in our hearts. This is Nietzsche's superman. This is the snake in the garden promising ye shall be as gods.

What makes something good, morally right, is often simplified to,

1. it is beneficial for you, and
2. does no harm to anyone around you.

Unfortunately, this view misses a rather critical problem: what's beneficial for you now may be detrimental to your own future.

We would be wise to amend this to,

1. it is beneficial for you, now and in the future, and
2. it is simultaneously beneficial for those around you, now and in the future.

And while this is clearly better advice than the prior attempt, there still remains a fundamental problem: there is an implied purpose and meaning to life when we speak of beneficial.

We should include,

1. it is what you are called to do by your creator, that is, it is your purpose in life

This is getting much better, and yet still there's a problem; it's not always clear what you are being called to do, what the purpose of your life is or ought to be. However, we know our purpose is to glorify God, as we were created in His image, so we can conclude that something is good only if,

1. it glorifies God, which is our purpose, as we are made in the image and likeness of God

Conclusion

Something is good if, and only if,

1. it glorifies God, which is our highest purpose, as we are made in the image and likeness of God, and
2. it is what we are called to do by God, that is, it is our specific purpose in life, and
3. it is beneficial for those around us, our neighbors and all of society, now and in the future, and
4. it is beneficial for us individually, now and in the future, including and through to our children's children's children