Whimsical Morality

Why bother being good at all? For many people today, the answer is simple: goodness is what we’ve always been taught, makes life easier, and it’s just good. Acting well keeps us out of trouble, while wrongdoing usually leads to problems we’d rather avoid. If we treat others well, we avoid conflict, we gain trust, and life runs more smoothly. Acting contrary to good often leads to chaos, broken relationships, mistrust, or even punishment. In this sense, goodness can appear to be nothing more than a strategy for survival.

Goodness cannot be reduced to convenience, social expectation, survival tactics, or even the pursuit of a happier life. It is more than a way to avoid consequences or secure comfort. For goodness to possess true depth and permanence, it must be grounded in something beyond ourselves, in transcendence, or in God.

Rooting goodness in transcendence matters first because it gives morality objectivity. If “good” is only what people agree upon, then it will shift with culture, time, and circumstance. Without a higher standard, morality is reduced to a consensus, making it vulnerable to corruption, erosion or manipulation. A transcendent grounding, however, means that goodness is not invented by us but discovered; it is real, enduring, and valid for all.

Transcendence provides an external benchmark, like a North Star, ensuring goodness isn’t swayed by emotions or power dynamics. Without it, goodness is “relegated to the individual to define as they wish,” turning it into mere preference. C.S. Lewis, in The Abolition of Man, warned that abandoning transcendent values creates “men without chests,” people driven by raw impulses rather than principled virtue, leading to a society where goodness erodes into self-interest or tyranny.

Transcendence secures human dignity. If human worth is only a product of social agreement or personal usefulness, then it can be diminished, denied, or revoked. But if goodness is rooted in God, then every person carries inviolable value, not because of what they achieve, have, or are, but because of who they are in relation to the Divine.

It strengthens the authority of moral obligation. Without it, morality risks becoming advice…helpful, but not binding. With it, goodness carries weight: it is not just what works, but what must be done. This authority empowers moral courage. It enables people to resist injustice, even when doing so comes at a great cost. Transcendent goodness inspires self-sacrifice because it’s tied to eternal truth and beauty, evoking a sense of awe and duty (e.g., loving one’s enemies as a reflection of Divine love). Non-transcendent versions rely on temporary incentives, such as social approval or pleasure, which falter under pressure. History shows this flimsiness in regimes like the Nazis or Stalin’s USSR justified atrocities as “good” for the collective, unmoored from any higher standard, resulting in moral collapse.

It also gives meaning to goodness. If life ends in nothingness, then why sacrifice for others? Why endure suffering for the sake of justice? Without transcendence, goodness may seem admirable but ultimately futile. With it, goodness participates in what is eternal; it is never wasted, for it aligns us with the ultimate order of truth and love.

In a postmodern world, where transcendentals are “no longer considered transcendent” but subjective, goodness fragments into “whatever benefits me the most and doesn’t affect you.” This leads to ethical nihilism, where debates over issues like abortion or euthanasia devolve into power struggles rather than appeals to unchanging principles. Without a transcendent source, these values lose all meaning, becoming tools for the ego rather than guides to reality.

Goodness rooted in transcendence preserves hope. The world is filled with injustice that is never corrected and wrongs that are never made right. Without God, this is the last word: evil may win. But if goodness is grounded in God, then justice will not fail. Goodness will have the last say.

Ultimately, rooting goodness in transcendence shields it from fragility. It ensures that morality is not just a matter of convenience or consensus but something real, enduring, and meaningful. Something that exists whether we acknowledge it or not. Goodness is more than a human invention; it is participation in the eternal. To be good is not merely to live well in society or to be out of trouble; it is to align ourselves with the deepest truth of existence, with the very heart of God.