The third type of life is the Life of Contemplation, which we shall consider in the sequel. [8]
The Life of Money-making is a constrained2 kind of life, and clearly wealth is not the Good we are in search of, for it is only good as being useful, a means to something else. On this score indeed one might conceive the ends before mentioned to have a better claim, for they are approved for their own sakes. But even they do not really seem to be the Supreme Good; however, many arguments against them have been disseminated, so we may dismiss them.6.
But perhaps it is desirable that we should examine the notion of a Universal Good, and review the difficulties that it involves, although such an inquiry goes against the grain because of our friendship for the authors of the Theory of Ideas.3 Still perhaps it would appear desirable, and indeed it would seem to be obligatory, especially for a philosopher, to sacrifice even one's closest personal ties in defense of the truth. Both are dear to us, yet 'tis our duty to prefer the truth.4 [2]
The originators5 of this theory, then, used not to postulate Ideas of groups of things in which they posited6 an order of priority and posteriority7 (for which reason they did not construct an Idea of numbers in general). But Good is predicated alike in