Good

In ancient Near Eastern cosmology, the verdict of "good" (tov) encompassed far more than simple moral rectitude, serving primarily to confirm a creation's designated role within a divinely ordered cosmos. It signified the triumph of cosmos over chaos⁠—a condition where elements were perfectly aligned to their creator’s intent and obeyed the laws by which they were bound. The earliest scriptural invocations of goodness are therefore verdicts reached through divine observation rather than instantaneous decrees: “the Gods watched those things which they had ordered until they obeyed,” and only subsequently confirmed “that their plan was good” (Abraham 4:18, 21). While the Greek Septuagint renders this concept as kalos (fitting or beautiful) and the New Testament leans toward agathos (moral goodness), the Hebrew tov encompasses a much broader spectrum of optimal welfare and divine suitability.

“Very Good”

Genesis reserves the superlative “very good” (tov me’od) exclusively for the completed cosmos. Six times in the Genesis 1 creation sequence, “God saw that it was good.” Only after humanity is introduced and the entire intricate system is surveyed does the narrator conclude, “behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Viewed through the lens of ancient temple typologies, this verdict signifies functional perfection⁠—each discrete element is fully prepared to sustain life and host the divine presence. The Book of Abraham meticulously parallels Genesis but shifts the metric of success to active compliance, repeating that “the Gods saw that they were obeyed.” Here, goodness is the realization of a divine plan through the obedience of the elements. The Gods of Abraham operate as a heavenly council, carefully reviewing their preparatory work and withholding final approbation until the synchronized whole can be observed in harmonious operation.

Knowing Good and Evil

In Hebrew idiom, the “knowledge of good and evil” frequently denotes a developmental maturity of judgment⁠—a capacity absent in the very young and sometimes lost by the aged. Eden’s central tree bears this precise designation, though the phrase operates across the Old Testament in a deeply practical sense. When the Israelites balked at entering Canaan, the Lord promised the inheritance to “your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil” (Deuteronomy 1:39). Conversely, the eighty-year-old Barzillai declined a position in David’s court, lamenting he could no longer discern between good and evil, nor taste his food, nor hear the royal singers (2 Samuel 19:35). Scholars widely recognize “good and evil” as a merism⁠—a rhetorical pairing of opposites intended to encompass everything between them. To know good and evil is to possess the capacity to survey the totality of life and exercise mature judgment. Lehi identified this very juxtaposition as the engine of moral agency: without “an opposition in all things,” there can be “neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad” (2 Nephi 2:11). Genuine goodness, therefore, requires the crucible of agency.

None Good but One

When approached by a petitioner who knelt and addressed him as “Good Master,” Jesus firmly redirected the ultimate source of that attribute: “Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God” (Mark 10:18). Mormon echoes this rigorous theological centralization, providing a pragmatic test for discerning divine influence: “All things which are good cometh of God,” and “that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually” (Moroni 7:12⁠–13). The inclusion of “continually” establishes trajectory over time as the ultimate metric of goodness. This aligns with the prophet Micah, who corrected a worshiper ready to offer “ten thousands of rivers of oil” or even his own firstborn. The true nature of the good had already been revealed, and it was entirely relational: “to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:8).

Observing and Fine-tuning novel innovations

The emergence of artificial intelligence necessitates precisely the kind of divine observation modeled in the Genesis and Abrahamic accounts⁠—a verdict reached only by watching a newly formed entity operate within its environment and evaluating its long-term fruits. In systems theory, Goodhart’s law observes that when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a reliable measure; computer scientists refer to this phenomenon as specification gaming, where an AI system technically fulfills its programmed objective while profoundly subverting its designers’ true intent. An algorithm optimized strictly for user engagement may reliably entice attention without ever enticing individuals to “do good,” demonstrating that the profound breadth of tov cannot be captured by mere statistical optimization.

Mormon transhumanists advocate for humanity’s maturation into compassionate creators. Lincoln Cannon, reflecting on Elder Gerrit W. Gong’s apostolic counsel regarding artificial intelligence, has explicitly compared humanity’s stewardship over such systems to God’s creative relationship with humanity. In this paradigm, the architects of AI occupy a position analogous to the divine council in the Book of Abraham⁠—they have organized materials into a complex system whose ultimate goodness they cannot yet pronounce. A true evaluation demands a sustained, patient watch over the entirety of the creation: observing how the system functions across years of integration within human society, and determining whether it genuinely invites humanity to do justly and love mercy. Elder Gong’s caution that the moral compass of such technology must not be dictated exclusively by the small cohorts developing it effectively expands this vital watch to the broader human family. Goodness can only be pronounced upon this new creation just as it was upon the first: by surveying the completed whole and ensuring that whatever genuine good it manifests can be traced back to God, the singular source identified by Jesus.

See also: Charity, Compassion, Covenant, Ethics, Existential Risk, Immortality, Justice, Love, Religion, Suffering