The Cardinal Newman Society's Catholic Curriculum Standards

What was the most beautiful thing that you ever saw? Was it a sunset? a mountain range with fresh snow? clarity of ocean water? a spotted cheetah? or the perfections of a newborn baby? There are some images that are intuitively appealing and universally attractive .  . There are some things that instantly move the heart to an “ah” moment or even a physical response of “breath-taking.”      Take a minute and think about some of the things you are attracted to and then ask yourself why you are attracted to them. Is it because you have never seen anything so pristine, so perfect, so unified and complete as what was in front of you? St. Thomas Aquinas suggests that your response may be in part to the beautiful thing’s , harmony, proportion, wholeness , and radiance. 1       We seem by nature to be attracted to things possess ing these qualities and as well to those things that are without imperfection or limit . For Plato, men move through stag...

When thinking about Goodness, what might first come to mind is a moral sense of equality and justice. This perspective is easily seen through the eyes of children who are quick to recognize when someone has not been treated fairly. T his concept of goodness is also found in the n atural l aw precepts of “Do good; avoid evil” and God’s revealed law in the Ten Commandments.      Goodness can also be understood as how well a person, thing, or action fulfills its intended purpose or end, or how well it acts as a means for another particular end . 1 For example, i f I say, “This orange is good” it is likely because it fulfills all the standards, purposes, and ends of an orange , e.g., it is ripe, properly shaped and colored, and provides nutrition.      Philosophers sometimes distinguish different areas where the goodness of a thing can be sought - these include the Goods of Society , the Goods of fortune , the Goods of the body, and the Goods of...