ethics

Open Access Article

1 - A Comprehensive Critical-Comparative Analysis of Tusi’s Works on Ethics
Fereshteh Abolhassani Niaraki

This paper presents a critical-comparative analysis of Tusi’s writings on ethics. Research on various dimensions of his ethical theory requires a comprehensive knowledge of his works. Therefore, prior to any study of his works on ethics, it is necessary to critically an More

This paper presents a critical-comparative analysis of Tusi’s writings on ethics. Research on various dimensions of his ethical theory requires a comprehensive knowledge of his works. Therefore, prior to any study of his works on ethics, it is necessary to critically analyze them and compare them with each other. Moreover, it is also a must to identify Tusi’s contribution to research on ethics among his written works. It is not possible to provide an extensive report of all of his works in various fields in this paper; therefore, the writer has contented herself with referring to those books, treatises, and articles that he exclusively wrote on ethics including some scattered discussions of this field. Moreover, because of the importance of Tusi’s independent works on ethics, the writer has also referred to the date of each work, the purpose behind writing it, the approach of the work, the structure, method, and references used in writing it, its publication status, its place in the history of ethical works, its bibliography, the ethical school it represents, and its Table of Contents following an analytic-critical approach. This paper also examines the relationship between Tusi’s ethical writings, particularly his three important works including Akhlaq-e Muhtashami, Akhlaq-e Nasiri, and Awsaf al-ashraf. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

2 - A Critical Study and Analysis of Kant’s Ideas concerning the Validity of Categorical Imperative based on Mulla Sadra’s View
Hossein Qasemi

The study of moral propositions and their nature has attracted the attention of philosophers since long ago. Whether these propositions enjoy sufficient flexibility in terms of content is one of the problems discussed in the field of philosophy of ethics. In the West, t More

The study of moral propositions and their nature has attracted the attention of philosophers since long ago. Whether these propositions enjoy sufficient flexibility in terms of content is one of the problems discussed in the field of philosophy of ethics. In the West, the modern philosopher, Kant, believed that moral propositions should enjoy a categorical nature. In his view, determining moral acts by any factor other than the “moral law” will result in subordinating them to the subjective will. His insistence on the validity of the categorical imperative originates in purifying practical wisdom from all empirical factors such as hedonism, sentimentalism, God’s Will, and intellectual perfection. Moreover, he sought the “end” and “good” in man’s nature. Accordingly, the law of ethics and the objective principle of act are introduced as the bases of the categorical imperative and, as a result, all other factors are invalidated. In other fields of philosophy, particularly, in Mulla Sadra’s philosophy, the emphasis on the categorical nature of moral judgments is seriously criticized. Mulla Sadra rejects not only Kant’s a priori interpretation of practical reason but also his interpretation of the good and the end. Alongside moral facts, Mulla Sadra speaks of individual and social differences and, as a result, accepts several levels of being in lower realms of human beings. All these plural beings affect the validity of particular and unnecessary judgments and challenge Kant’s categorical ideas. The present paper analyzes Kant’s view of the categorical imperative and, then, criticizes it relying on the philosophical ideas of Mulla Sadra and some of the commentators of Kant. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

3 - Aristotelian Golden Mean in Abu Nasr Farabi
Zohreh Tavaziany

From among the views propounded in the field of ethics, Aristotle’s theory of golden mean has attracted the greatest attention of Muslim philosophers, including Farabi, who is considered to be the founder of Islamic philosophy. The problem here is whether Farabi himself More

From among the views propounded in the field of ethics, Aristotle’s theory of golden mean has attracted the greatest attention of Muslim philosophers, including Farabi, who is considered to be the founder of Islamic philosophy. The problem here is whether Farabi himself was merely content with a pure imitation, explanation, and expansion of Aristotle’s theory in designing his ethical system or developed his independent view in the realm of ethics. Through presenting a documented report of Farabi’s views in ethics, the present paper intends to demonstrate that, in spite of Aristotle’s undeniable influence on his thoughts in the development of some of his philosophical principles in the field of ethics, such as considering happiness to be the ultimate goal and resorting to the theory of the mean in explaining virtues and posing Aristotle’s four-fold virtues, Farabi was never content with a mere explanation of Aristotle’s ideas in this regard and, on the contrary, presented his own specific theories. Clearly, Farabi promotes happiness from the level of a purely ethical concept with an individualistic bent to the level of a social concept and considers it to be the foundation of the political systems that are based on virtue. He also enters some purely religious features into this field and clearly explains them. However, his ideas in this regard are not immune to criticism. What places Farabi with regard to his ethical theories in the same line with Aristotelians is the problem of proposing the mean as the criterion for determining moral virtues. Through emphasizing this problem, this paper intends to demonstrate how Farabi has organized his ethical system based on the elements he has borrowed from Aristotle. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

4 - The Meaning and Object of Intellectual Intuition in Ibn Sina’s Oriental Ethics
Mir Saeid Mousavi Karimi Ali Akbar ‘Abdolabadi Muhammad Hani Jafarian

The present paper presents a definition for “intellectual intuition” in Ibn Sina’s Oriental epistemology as referred to in his Rasa’il mashriqi. Accordingly, in the first part, the writers initially explore the different meanings of intuition. Then, through an analysis More

The present paper presents a definition for “intellectual intuition” in Ibn Sina’s Oriental epistemology as referred to in his Rasa’il mashriqi. Accordingly, in the first part, the writers initially explore the different meanings of intuition. Then, through an analysis of Ibn Sina’s epistemological system, under titles such as “A Study of Different Stages of Acquiring Knowledge” and “A Study of Various Stages of Conjecture”, they try to explain Ibn Sina’s specific definition of intellectual intuition. Finally, by comparing his definition with other ones, they pinpoint their differences and similarities and refer to his all-inclusive definition of intellectual intuition. In the second part, through investigating the specific features of Ibn Sina’s definition of this concept, the writers introduce the objects of intellectual intuition, the good and evil moral attributes of the soul, the evident ethical propositions, and the particular ethical acts. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

5 - The Relationship between Religion and Ethics in the View of the Mu‘tazilite
Azam Ghasemi

In Islamic culture, the Mu‘tazilite were the first group who employed the rational method and considered the intellect to be the sole means of knowing the truth and to be independent from religion. That is why they have been referred to as the followers of the “religion More

In Islamic culture, the Mu‘tazilite were the first group who employed the rational method and considered the intellect to be the sole means of knowing the truth and to be independent from religion. That is why they have been referred to as the followers of the “religion of the intellect”. The Mu‘tazilite granted a kind of sanctity to the intellect and maintained that when human beings perfect their intellect, they can perceive essential truths, which consist of the knowledge of God and the knowledge of the good and evil. On the other hand, they never denied revelation but believed that it cannot be in contrast to human intellect. They also stated that since the intellect has a longer history than revelation, it is identical with light, without which no one can be led to the right path. The purpose of revelation is to increase intellectual knowledge and make it more accurate. The Mu‘tazilite, thus, concluded that the intellect is the criterion for revelation. This idea was one of their most important principles. Hence, it can be said that, for this group, ethics is based on a kind of intellect which is prior to religion. One of their most famous principles is, “thinking before hearing”. The Mu‘tazilite are mutikallim, and a mutikallim looks at the intellectual human being as a responsible individual before God. They consider the intellect to be sufficient regarding Man’s need to revelation at the outset of obligation. This paper deals with Mu‘tazilites’ view of the relationship between religion and ethics. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

6 - Heraclitus, Ethics, and Knowledge
Majid Mollayousefi Maryam Samadieh

Heraclitus was one of the important pre-Socratic philosophers who had some scattered notes on ethics. In order to understand his ethical views, in addition to referring to his existing notes, it is necessary to pay attention to the context in which his philosophy was fo More

Heraclitus was one of the important pre-Socratic philosophers who had some scattered notes on ethics. In order to understand his ethical views, in addition to referring to his existing notes, it is necessary to pay attention to the context in which his philosophy was formed. Heraclitus was under the influence of two traditions of his time. The first was the influence of Homer and early poets and philosophers, such as Solon, Bias of Priene, and the like, who were distinctively characterized by believing in human-like Gods or anthropomorphism. The other was the influence of a new scientific and technical tradition which was developed during the same century in Miletus under the influence of some figures such as Thales and Anaximander, who were mainly concerned with cosmology, that is, an understanding of the quality of the creation, survival and, finally, annihilation of the world order. In fact, Heraclitus’s philosophy can be viewed as a bridge between these two different traditions. Since he considered the world order and human order to be the same, it can be said that his main purpose and concern was explaining the status of human beings in the physical world and not the physical world itself. The ethics of Heraclitus, similar to those of other ancient Greek philosophers, described a kind of ethics of virtue, the core of which comprised virtue and happiness. In the field of virtue, he dealt with both moral virtues and intellectual virtues. Regarding moral virtues, through distinguishing bodily joys from non-bodily joys, he ultimately rejected excessive acts and introduced moderation in joys as the criterion for human behavior. With respect to intellectual virtues, Heraclitus also relied on the knowledge of wisdom and acknowledged that wisdom does not simply mean to have vast knowledge; rather, it means a kind of conscious and well-scrutinized knowledge which conforms to logos. As a result, he mainly emphasized intellectual rather than ethical virtues. Finally, he viewed man’s happiness a result of knowing and behaving in line with logos. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

7 - Historical look at the phrase “Political by nature” in the Middle Ages of the Islamic world
Sajjad Hejri Azartash Azarnoush

Being political for/Politicalness of human beings is one of the topics which philosophers have been discussing from ancient times until now, and it is the basis/foundation of some branches of practical philosophy, especially the philosophical principles of social scien More

Being political for/Politicalness of human beings is one of the topics which philosophers have been discussing from ancient times until now, and it is the basis/foundation of some branches of practical philosophy, especially the philosophical principles of social sciences. Although the necessity of "social life" or Being political/Politicalness for all human beings is more or less obvious; it was Greeks who scrutinized this phenomenon in their philosophical works, and what we know as being political by nature (of/about human beings) from the past to the present in the Islamic world has its roots in Greece and the age of translation. This phrase was created/emerged/coined by Isḥāq ibn Ḥunayn’s translation of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics in the third lunar century in the Islamic world, and the ground for its development was laid by Miskawayh’s Ethics. Although most contemporary translators of Aristotle's ethics into Persian and Arabic did not use this phrase, it's still prominent. The doctrine of Being political for/Politicalness of human beings became the basis/foundation of the demonstration of philosophers like Avicenna/ Ibn Sina to prove prophecy, and Fakhr al-Din Rāzi introduced it, which later became known as the way of philosophers, into theological works. By inquiring/studying/looking into available Persian and Arabic written heritage, this article tries to follow the development/pathway of the phrase “Political by nature”, which has turned into a term and model/form in the Islamic world, in middle ages and is still used today and in some aspects/somehow fill the gap of historical inquire about it in current literature. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

8 - An Evaluation of Martha Nussbaum’s View of the Non-Relativity of Virtues in Aristotelian Approach
Mohammad Saeid Abdollahi Mohamad Ali Abdollahi

20.1001.1.20089589.1401.13.3.7.4

The nature, role, and quality of attaining virtue hold an important place in Aristotle’s philosophy. He tried to provide a systematic account of Man’s goal of achieving virtue. Martha Nussbaum, the contemporary commentator of Aristotle, believes that some contemporary p More

The nature, role, and quality of attaining virtue hold an important place in Aristotle’s philosophy. He tried to provide a systematic account of Man’s goal of achieving virtue. Martha Nussbaum, the contemporary commentator of Aristotle, believes that some contemporary philosophers, although considering themselves as advocates of Aristotle, have some disagreements with him regarding certain key issues. Their mistake is rooted in their relativist approach to Aristotelian virtues. This approach stands in clear opposition to other views of Aristotle, who defended a single objective description of goodness or happiness for Man. Aristotle’s ethical virtue can explain many of the problems that relativists tried to solve and, at the same time, claim to be objective in the sense that relativism in one specific context does not mean being a relativist. For example, in other sciences, such as medicine and maritime, attention is devoted to particular cases, but it does not mean that the scholars and scientists in these fields are relativist. According to Nussbaum, Aristotelian virtues can explain virtue better than the virtues intended by relativists. However, this is the case when the specific features of a context are meticulously examined, and both shared and unshared characteristics are taken into consideration so that the best choice is made. In this paper, after explaining Nussbaum’s view concerning Aristotelian virtues, the author investigates three objections to his theory and, finally, clarifies the non-relativity of virtues in Aristotle’s thoughts. Manuscript profile

Open Access Article

9 - An Introduction to the Configuration of Political Ethics in the History of Chinese Philosophy: With a Focus on Ancient China
Ali Aqajani

20.1001.1.20089589.1402.13.4.8.1

The history of philosophy in China has always possessed some ethical and political roots since the time of its emergence and in the process of its evolution and development. One of the common features of all Chinese political philosophers, in spite of all their theoreti More

The history of philosophy in China has always possessed some ethical and political roots since the time of its emergence and in the process of its evolution and development. One of the common features of all Chinese political philosophers, in spite of all their theoretical differences, is their belief in the dependence of the value of government and rulership on its moral and ethical status and prestige. In this way, they tried to access moral principles in order to obligate the Chinese to conform to an Ideal government. Accordingly, while acknowledging the linguistic and semantic ambiguities of authorities’ different theories, the present study investigated the problem of the nature of political ethics and its relationship with government in Chinese political philosophy (with an emphasis on ancient China) following a comparative method. Here, the author proposes the hypothesis that, despite some shared general viewpoints, there are various approaches to the whatness and quality of political ethics and its relationship with government and its duties and moral-political responsibilities. The differences between approaches can be studied in relation to ontology, epistemology, and anthropology, on the one hand, and in relation to the relationship between ethics and politics, nature of government, and legitimacy and duties of government, on the other hand. For example, regarding the problem of the nature of government, Laozi, Yang Zǐ, and Tsung Zǐ, who are Taoists, criticize the government and consider it a kind of unnecessary evil that has no function except for increasing the complexity and adversity of affairs. Therefore, they vote for a minority government, advocate the absence of a dominant central government, and prescribe a conformity between Man’s political conformity with a decentralized government. By contrast, Confucius, Mensius, Tung Chung-su, Han Fei Zǐ, and Chu His consider the government to be a necessary good with major ethical-political duties. Manuscript profile

Current Issue

Published Issues

Menu

Browse

List of Articles ethics