Ok, let's discuss a principle that I have spoken with some of my friends about. That which is popular is good, or that which is approved by the majority is good.

Usually the context of this idea is somewhat jocular and not taken in a serious light. But I actually think there is some merit to it. I usually jokingly say something like "Britney Spears must be good because she is so popular." Now this seems silly but what about this one - "Coffee is good because most people like coffee." I think this statement seems more intuitively or logically appealing as agreeable. Personally, I don't like or drink coffee because of the same reason my brain reacts to ritalin (meth) differently than most people. Caffeine usually, unless in copious amounts, in which it has the normal effect, gives me a headache and is rather undesirable. Does that make coffee bad? Just because I'm nuerologically off doesn't mean that I should conclude that coffee is bad. Perhaps there is something appealing in Britney that many people don't appreciate.

The basic principle is that the things that the majority of a given number of people agree upon as good are in fact good. It seems logical yet many people don't accept this. But why do we say that killing is wrong? Suicide bombers will maintain that their actions are noble yet most people will say there are terrible. Therefore, killing innocent people and one's self is bad, but only because most people agree that it is. The suicide bomber won't agree with you that it is a horrible act. He/she thinks that it's the best thing he/she could do. Is this that much different than, say, maintaining that your favorite band, some obscure group that most people have never heard of, nay, that the type of music they even play is unknown to most people, is good?

Of course an acceptance of this principle will yield such happy conclusions as - gladiatorial contests are good because most Romans approved. It only follows that in the Roman environment they were good. Thus the nature of goodness, along with everything else, changes over time. There is no ultimate good as there is no ultimate evil.