Truth, Beauty, and Goodness

The idea of truth, beauty, and goodness as a philosophy of life surfaced in ancient Greece and resurfaced during the Renaissance.

Since that time, the idea has bubbled up in several places. The philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote three books in the 18th century that each covered one aspect of the trio, and Albert Einstein said this trio was pivotal for him, declaring that “the ideals which have lighted me on my way and time after time given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been truth, goodness, and beauty.”

“The ideals which have lighted me on my way and time after time given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been truth, goodness, and beauty.” — Albert Einstein

The philosopher Bertrand Russell echoed this statement in an excerpt from one of my favorite passages of all time, saying, “Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love [beauty], the search for knowledge [truth], and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind [goodness].”

As you can see from this quote, nailing down the exact terminology isn’t as important as understanding the essence of each concept.

We might refer to the pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness as the pursuit of right thinking, right feeling, and right doing.

We might also refer to it as the drive to:

Exercise the intellect [truth]

Nurture the higher emotions such as love, joy, peace, and awe [beauty]

Contribute to your community [goodness]

Whatever words you use, the point is that a quality life consists of the deliberate pursuit of intellectual, emotional, and social exercise.

Pursuing this trio forces us to look at our thoughts, feelings, and actions with as much objectivity as possible, holding onto what is true, beautiful, and good and dropping what isn’t — even if it happens to come from an unexpected source.

It’s a potentially frightening pursuit. What if we discover something about our way of thinking that isn’t true? Or something that isn’t beautiful? Or something that isn’t good?

According to this philosophy of life, we’ll be better off holding onto truth, beauty, and goodness no matter where they lead us.

It’s my hunch that everyone intuitively believes this. We recognize that truth, beauty, and goodness are worthwhile as ends in themselves. Whether it’s a scientific truth, a moving piece of music, or a chance to volunteer at a homeless shelter, we seek after these things.

The problem is that along the way we pick up false beliefs, coarse feelings, and bad habits. We all do this, no matter how enlightened we are. When we do, we lose sight of what a quality life really is.

For instance, I sometimes meet Mormons who have picked up the false belief that a quality life is defined exclusively by Mormon milestones. “My kids all went on missions, married in the temple, and produced lots of grandchildren,” they might say. But those characteristics don’t necessarily indicate a quality life. Going on a mission, marrying in the temple, and having kids — all these milestones have the veneer of success but not necessarily the substance.

A better measure of a quality life is whether we’re pursuing the right blend of truth, beauty, and goodness. That measure works inside or outside of any belief system.

In other words, I’m saying that the common paradigm within Mormonism needs to change.

Success isn’t so much tied to belief or disbelief in Mormonism as it is tied to the active pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness.

If families with mixed beliefs can embrace this idea (and to some degree we’re all part of families with mixed beliefs, aren’t we?), we can fully accept believers and nonbelievers alike and work together to find truth, beauty, and goodness.

Questions to Answer

Of course, all this talk about truth, beauty, and goodness opens more questions than it answers.

What happens when my idea of truth, beauty, and goodness clashes with yours?

How do we know what is true? What is beautiful? What is good?

What if we know what is good, but we fail to live up to it?

What does it mean when we have a beautiful experience after praying to know the truth about something, but then we find historical evidence that seems to contradict it?

How do we have beautiful experiences more often?

How do we love people whose beliefs may be irreconcilable with our own?

These are the questions I wrestle with throughout the book. I am excited to show you what I’ve found and to hear what you have found as well.

About the Book

When Mormons Leave was motivated by the belief that truth, beauty, and goodness can help Mormon and post-Mormon communities move forward together in a healthy, productive way.

This book is for: 1) Mormons who want to better understand a family member or friend who has left 2) Unorthodox or former Mormons who are looking for ways to talk about their transition with believing family members and friends 3) People who are experiencing a Mormon faith crisis and wondering where to turn.

You can pre-order it here.

Or read an excerpt from the first chapter here.