That which benefits, and can only benefit.
For the Stoics, the only good thing is virtue.
Good is differentiated from something that is indifferent, or preferred.
These things benefit people circumstantially.
Even something like health or friendship is beneficial circumstantially.
There are times when health is not the right thing to choose, for example, when donating a kidney to someone who needs it.
Virtue is good because it is always the appropriate thing to select, and never a bad thing.
Greek: Agathos
ἀγαθός.
Book: Essential Stoic Concepts
Subtitle: A Stoic glossary
Author: Stoa
Chapter: Good
Location: Chapter 14, Section 2
Content:
That which benefits, and can only benefit.
For the Stoics, the only good thing is virtue.
Good is differentiated from something that is indifferent, or preferred.
These things benefit people circumstantially.
Even something like health or friendship is beneficial circumstantially.
There are times when health is not the right thing to choose, for example, when donating a kidney to someone who needs it.
Virtue is good because it is always the appropriate thing to select, and never a bad thing.
Greek: Agathos
ἀγαθός.