Moral Perfection Research Articles

The Duty of the Highest Good and the Ethical Community in Kant

Abstract In this paper I focus on how the meritorious dimension (or latitude, Spielraum) involved in the promotion of the highest good is closely related to the constitution of an ethical community as a free, open and progressive moral society. I argue that since moral perfection and moral belief/faith as the grounding elements for the promotion of the highest good (synthesis of virtue and happiness) are not objective duties that must be promoted to a definite extent but involve a certain latitude in their employment, the ethical community that emerges out of the pursuit of the highest good does not prove to be a uniform society in terms of the degrees of the pursuit of moral perfection and moral commitment of its citizens. Rather, I point out that the latitude involved in the pursuit of moral perfection and the adoption of moral belief leads to the establishment of an ethical community that emerges as an open and free society entered by its citizens freely and willfully as part of their inner self-constraint. I thus hold that in such an ethical society agents can pursue and promote the highest good not in a strictly prescribed and uniform manner but in various forms and degrees as long as they constantly progress towards a higher form of moral perfection and purer form of religious (or rational) belief/faith.

В.С. Соловьев и цивилизационный выбор России

The attention is focused on the idea that the modern phase in the Russian philosophical and social thinking is characterized by the discourse on civilizational choice of Russia. Therewith, addressing the Russian religious and philosophical tradition is deemed to be relevant. The central personality of the Russian religious philosophy is Vladimir S. Solovyov – the ideological founder of the all-unity philosophy. His contemplation on multiple topics became significant for the Russian society of his time as well as of the modern days. It is stipulated, that one of the central topics for the Russian society is the problem of correlation of western and eastern elements of spiritual culture and historical development of Russia. Contemplation on this problem based on the creative heritage of Vladimir Solovyov makes his standpoint relevant in the current stage. The opinion that Solovyov's solution to the “East-West” dichotomy is based on the acknowledgement of universal christian values as the highest factor of historical development is being sustained. This allowed the founder of the all-unity to stipulate the highest ideals of spiritual and moral perfection as a goal of the progress of the society, to highlight the threat of spiritual crisis, to anticipate catastrophic events of the following historical period. The universalistic approach of Vladimir Solovyov presumes the inclusion of Russia into the context of the European Christian culture. The philosopher assumed for Russia a task of “global synthesis” of western and eastern values in global scale. Detailed ways of solving this task were utopian. The conclusion is made that the relevance of the philosopher's standpoint for the present is constituted by the vision of main tendencies in spiritual and social life. The all-unity philosophy is deemed to be productive to justify the general Russian identity of the present.

Moral Perfection and Freedom in the Philosophy of Anthony Ashley Cooper, Third Earl of Shaftesbury

Moral Perfection and Freedom in the Philosophy of Anthony Ashley Cooper, Third Earl of Shaftesbury

On the relationship of legality and social justice in law enforcement practice (to the 180th anniversary of the birth of A.F. Koni)

The problem of the relationship between law, legality and social justice is one of the fundamental problems of legal theory and law enforcement practice.The purpose of the study is to assess the problem field in the relationship between the principles of legality and social justice in domestic law enforcement practice and to substantiate the key role of the principle of social justice in its further development. The authors proceed from the position that the theoretical and practical experience of posing and interpreting this problem, accumulated in the history of world and Russian legal science, is an epistemological and worldview resource that has not only theoretical, but also quite practical significance.Methodology. Analytical methods were used to study the relationship between legality and social justice, historical-retrospective and hermeneutical methods in revealing the semantic meaning of these concepts, as well as a dialectical method in interpreting existing contradictions in their law enforcement practice.Results. The article, taking into account the current two main trends - on the one hand, towards “de-ideologization” and, on the other hand, towards “re-ideologization” of legal science - examines the relationship and interpretation of such concepts as “legality”, “law”, "legal proceedings", "social justice" in modern scientific (legal) discourse and in law enforcement practice. The development of the semantic content of the principle of social justice is shown through the concepts of “justice” (Aristotle), “moral perfection” (B.A. Kistyakovsky), “decent human existence” (P.I. Novgorodtsev), “proportionality” (A.F. Koni) etc. Based on a comparison of different theoretical and methodological approaches to defining these concepts, their content and role in law enforcement practice are revealed. A provision has been formulated on the need to expand openness and public principles in improving legal proceedings, since the encountered practice of closed legal proceedings does not correspond to the principles of openness and publicity. The problematic issues of the comprehend theory of law associated with the blurring of the concepts of “legality” and “social justice” in the context of existing ideological pluralism are revealed. In connection with the anniversary – the 180th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding Russian lawyer A.F. Koni, his contribution to the development of ideas about legal morality and judicial ethics is shown. In particular, his idea about the “spirit of legality”, that the “truth of life” should be higher than the “legal truth”.Conclusion. Taking into account the influence that ideology has on the law, a position has been formulated on the need to form a unified ideological view in determining socially fair legal content and its clear legislative codification. The main trends in the development of modern scientific ideas about the relationship between ideology and law have been identified. The thesis about the key importance of social justice in the development of law and legality is substantiated.

"Frequent Self-Examination Is the Duty of All": Practical Religion, Moral Improvement, and Transatlantic Protestantism

Abstract: Practicing Protestants sought moral perfection through innovative means of self-development during the eighteen and early nineteenth centuries. The philosophical, cultural and religious changes that emerged from the Protestant Reformation and Enlightenment influenced transatlantic Protestantism. Evangelical religion and new sectarian groups appeared simultaneously and dialectically to the emergence of liberal thought, democratic politics and scientific advancement. The high-level musings of prominent philosophers of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe trickled down to common practitioners, who engaged in new patterns of religiosity. Through spiritual performances, habitual methods, and regimented schedules, Protestants customized their individual programs for moral progress and spiritual enlightenment. Pictorial and published works served as devices to evoke, maintain and advance their faith through reading, prayer, meditation, and diet. Recording their activities and assessing their successes and failures, the individual plans detailed here were part of a continuum of spirituality and rationality to perform piety on one's own terms and for the benefit of others. These Protestants combined Christian concepts with Enlightenment ideals to pursue autonomous, aspirational, and tailored approaches to self-discipline and spiritual insight.

Особенности функционирования аллегории в произведениях русской монашеской словесности XX века

The aim of the research is to present the main features of the functioning of allegory in the works of 20th-century Russian monastic writers. The paper examines Christian allegory as a specific tropeic phenomenon. The specificity of the use of Christian allegory lies in its orientation toward the culture-forming texts of the Bible; in its fixation in the didactic parts of the text dedicated to the salvation of the soul, spiritual perfection, the need to strive for virtue; in the authors’ appeal to allegorical images with stable interpretations embedded in the culture; in its concentration on allegories that are part of the established allegorical imagery corpus, which formed as Christian literature were developing. The central place in the work is occupied by the study of the representation of ideas important for church writers through allegory, the actualization of Christian meanings. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that it uses theolinguistic analysis to study the works of Russian monastic literature, indicates the stylistic functions of allegory in the ecclesiastical-religious style, and identifies the main features of the use of allegory. As a result, the following has been proved: when affirming thoughts related to the perniciousness of sins, authors resort to Christian allegories, using images of a swamp, abyss, net, thorns, tree branches, spiderwebs; when describing the life of a person and the path of a Christian, images of a ship, boat, sea, storm, and house are used; in reasoning about virtues, images of water, sun, and sky are chosen. There are several stylistic functions of allegory identified in the texts of monastic literature, such as pictorial, syndicating, emotive, prescriptive, meaning-forming, didactic, axiological. The features of the functional orientation of allegory in the works of monastic literature are as follows: the use with didactic religious-Christian goals, i.e., aversion from sin and encouragement to acquire virtues, strive for the salvation of the soul, moral perfection, spiritual alertness, and the cultivation of the inner person.

Sufism as a Generation (Z) Solution: A Review of Hamka’s Thoughts From a Multidimensional Context

Tasawwuf, as a dimension within Islam that is often overlooked, emerges as a relevant solution for Generation Z in facing the complexities of the modern world. In Hamka's thought, tasawwuf is seen as a multidimensional approach that offers a way out of the moral and ethical value crises rampant in contemporary society. This research aims to explore the contribution of tasawwuf in addressing the challenges of our times. A qualitative research method is used with a descriptive-analytical approach. The main findings indicate that tasawwuf teachings provide a foundation for creating harmony in human life. Essentially, tasawwuf aims to guide individuals towards a deeper closeness with God, which in turn shapes a more ethical and responsible society. In the context of a constantly changing modern society, tasawwuf plays a key role as a controller for humans against the currents of modernization. By rooting itself in strong spiritual values, tasawuf is capable of guiding Generation Z towards moral perfection and maintaining the integrity of noble values in everyday life.

Разум, язык, культура: как сегодня прочитывать концепцию «арабского разума» ал-Джа̄бири

In his four-volume Critique of Arab Reason the late Moroccan philosopher Muḥammad ‘Ābid al-Jābirī (1935–2010) argues that human history witnessed “Greco-European” and “Arab” variants of reason, and not the single one. He challenges the confidence of philosophers in the universality of reason which disclosed itself in the course of European history. Reading al-Jābirī’s theory in Kantian optics will prove fruitful in view of significant number of observations accumulated in Arabic philosophical studies and directly related to the question of the type of rationality that grounds Arab-Muslim culture. The Arabic linguistic tradition bases itself not on the being of substance but on the flux of action. The indivisible segment of the Arabic speech is the flow of sound between the two “sides” (ḥ arf, pl. ḥ urūf). The copulative function ensures the gluing of the subject and predicate into a single statement due to the action of “leaning” (isnād) between them, which excludes the use of the “to be”-like copula and removes “being” from the list of the fundamental metaphysical categories. All Arabic words, with few exceptions, are “branches” growing from “roots” represented by names of actions. The “root – branches” (’aṣl – furū‘) model, developed by the representatives of the Arabic linguistic tradition and Islamic jurists, explains the diversity of Islamic culture which allows for direct contradictions, legitimizing them by tracing down to a single “root”, which contrasts with the law of contradiction fundamental to European rationality. Islamic ethics is concerned not with the moral perfection of a single substantial individual, but with maintaining a network of interactions between human being and God and between members of society, constituting society not as a hierarchy of strata and classes, but as multiple networks of interactions. The concept of the “Arab reason” by al-Jābirī, read in Kantian optics on the basis of the achievements of philosophical Arabic studies, allows to substantiate the hypothesis of the plurality of types of rationality developed through the history of humankind.

Stanley Cavell, John Rawls and moral perfectionism in liberal democracy

John Rawls was what we might call a “frenemy” to Stanley Cavell. Time and again, Cavell states his admiration for Rawls's political philosophy but criticizes it for two reasons. First, he believes that Rawls too hastily dismisses a perfectionist tradition that is essential for a flourishing liberal democracy. Second, he attacks certain aspects of Rawls's theory of justice as moralistic and legalistic. The first half of this article examines Cavell's critique of Rawls and argues that the two authors are more closely aligned than suspected. It begins by reconstructing Cavell's critique of Rawls, and using archival materials from Harvard University, presents for the first time Rawls's interpretation of this critique. The second half of the article highlights perfectionist themes in Rawls's A Theory of Justice. The contribution of this article is to reevaluate the relationship between two of the most important moral philosophers of the twentieth century and also to provide a more expansive theory of liberalism that incorporates the psychological depth, moral subtlety and political hopefulness of moral perfectionism.

Intrinsic dignity

Dignity has often been used to signify a ground for a particularly serious kind of moral consideration, the scope of which has been debated. Therefore, I argue that an inclusive conception of dignity is central in determining the normative aims of education, and the moral responsibilities that adult teachers should have in learning relationships with children. The aim of the paper is to argue for a view of dignity as a regulative ideal beyond the dichotomy of moral agents and patients that can be (imperfectly) realized through moral perfectionism. In this article I show how commonly held neo-Aristotelean and neo-Kantian interpretations that view dignity as an intrinsic value grounded in certain capacities, mainly the capacity for reason, can have limiting implications for the view of children as moral subjects. By presenting alternative interpretations of Aristotle and Kant, I will seek to challenge these limited views on dignity and expand the conception of dignity to not only being grounded in certain capacities of moral agents and patients, but in morality itself. The argument leads to problematizing moral perfectionism in education that is not counter-balanced by moments of transcending our own intentions to be good.

From Inattentiveness Towards Moral Failures: Acknowledging Simone Weil in Iris Murdoch’s Literary Writings

Simone Weil's ideas proved fundamental for Iris Murdoch, opening up a difficult path of thought for one rooted in the British philosophical tradition in the 1950s (Sim 1985, Bok 2005, Lovibond 2011a, Panizza 2022a, Mac Cumhaill and Wiseman 2022). Grasping the Weilian-inspired moral theory of attention sketched by Iris Murdoch is a prerequisite for comprehending the development of her moral ideas (Panizza 2015, Broackes 2012) and the form they may take in her literary writings (Griffin 1993, Morgan 2006). This paper argues that we can read an expression of Simone Weil in Iris Murdoch's novels which articulate her notions of grace and gravity, but also convey the Weilian insights that shape Murdoch's moral perfectionism. It investigates three of Murdoch's well-known male protagonists, i.e., Bradley Pearson, Charles Arrowby and Hilary Burde, so as to comprehend how their moral failures relate to a defective implementation of the concepts of love and attention as theorised by Simone Weil as leading to goodness. Hence, it offers a new examination of the way in which the Murdochian literary staging of inattention as a cause of moral deficiency reveals its Weilian-based ethics of attention.

Kant on race and the radical evil in the human species

AbstractReligion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason remains one of the most opaque of Kant's published writings. Though this opacity belongs, partly, to the text itself, a key claim of this article is that this opacity stems also from the narrow lenses through which his readers view this text. Often read as part of Kant's moral philosophy or his universal history, the literature has thus far neglected a different vantage point on the Religion, one that does not refute the utility of these lenses but complements them. This paper places the Religion alongside parts of Kant's corpus that it is less typically paired with, namely his natural history writings—in particular, his writings on the concept of race and the development of the human races. I argue that by doing so, we can shed much light on Kant's infamous claim that there is a radical evil in the human species. More precisely, we will come to appreciate that this evil is not, as it is usually understood, a static property or fixed characteristic of human beings. Instead, radical evil concerns a dynamic, changing defect in human nature that increasingly threatens our aspirations to collective moral perfection.

Kebebasan Sejati sebagai Dasar Kekudusan

True freedom is an important foundation for the Church's call to holiness. True freedom is the fruit of a person's lived experience of knowing God as the highest truth and desiring God as the highest good. Veritatis Splendor, an encyclical by Pope John Paul II on truth and freedom, emphasizes that human freedom does not have an end in itself but is always dependent on divine truth. This is shown in the attitude of obedience to the law of God, which is a manifestation of God's love and wisdom. Conscience plays an important role in human obedience to God because it is there that a person meets God personally. True freedom is then revealed in moral actions in everyday life where each person is called to imitate the act of martyrdom as moral perfection. The encyclical itself states that martyrdomis a prominent example of the Church's holiness.

Konsep Akhlak Menurut Pemikiran Imam Al-Ghazali dan Buya Hamka (Suatu Perbandingan dengan melalui Pendekatan Filosofis)

The phenomenon of moral decline has been going on for a long time. There are various strategies and efforts made by various groups to modify current conditions. Many efforts have been made to improve the quality of education by changing the curriculum. However, of the many curriculum changes that have been made, until now the benefits have not been felt significantly. Islam has a deep understanding of education. Before starting the learning process, a student or student needs to have or learn good manners first. This has been done by Islamic scientists for a long time. The aim is none other than so that the people produced from an educational institution are people with good morals. Therefore, in this research, the researcher will discuss the concept of morals according to the thoughts of a Muslim scholar who is famous for his moral theory. Therefore, the researcher hopes that this research will be able to help in finding solutions to the current moral situation. This research uses a library research methodology with a qualitative research type, namely using a data and reading approach based on library research. Imam Al-Ghazali and Buya Hamka have similarities in their thoughts about the nature of morals, namely that they both prioritize good morals with an emphasis on human efforts to achieve moral perfection consisting of four types, namely hikmah, syajaah, 'iffah and 'adl. The difference in the moral thinking of these two figures can be seen from the background of their thinking. Imam Al-Ghazali's thoughts about morals are the result of the emergence of human life, at that time worldly life came first while life in the afterlife came second. Meanwhile, Buya Hamka's thoughts live in modern times, which coincides with the period of colonialism and Indonesian independence.

Embodiment of spiritual and moral perfection in Azerbaijani enlightened-realist children's prose

Embodiment of spiritual and moral perfection in Azerbaijani enlightened-realist children's prose

»Ein Bild von ihm … wird immer belehrend und erquickend bleiben. Sein Leben lehrte.« David Friedländers biographische Fragmente über Moses Mendelssohn

Abstract A few years after Moses Mendelssohn’s death (1786) David Friedländer wrote life-history descriptions in which he took a fragmentary look at Mendelssohn’s personality and emphasized that he had succeeded in approaching moral perfection as a human being and as a merchant to a high degree. With the virtuous perfection pattern Moses Mendelssohn (Vollkommenheitsmuster Moses Mendelssohn) designed by him, Friedländer initially pursued two intentions: on the one hand, he established a modern Jewish educational ideal, and on the other hand, his image of Mendelssohn served him to combat prejudice among non-Jews. Three decades later, Friedländer published further biographical fragments about Mendelssohn, this time appearing in a distinctly educational context, and again presenting Mendelssohn as an educational ideal. The article analyzes Friedländer’s ›Platonic‹ mode of presenting Mendelssohn and questions the significance of his parallelization of Mendelssohn with Socrates. In addition, it examines Friedländer’s choice of the fragment as a descriptive category and form of biographical representation, with which he functionalizes Mendelssohn for his pedagogical aims.

Implementation of Moral Sufism in Islamic Religious Education

Sufism is a field of study in Islamic studies that has been researched from time to time and has developed rapidly, becoming a scientific discipline that is closely related to efforts to improve morals in people's lives through Islamic Religious Education (PAI). In other words, Sufism is not only an effort to purify oneself individually but also helps build a society with noble morals by drawing closer to Allah as Al-Khaliq. 'rifatullah. Moral Sufism is one method of studying Sufism. Moral Sufism is Sufism that upholds moral development. To achieve moral perfection or insan kamil, the teachings of moral Sufism really emphasize amaliyah-amaliyah or purity of soul which relies on strengthening mental attitudes and strict behavioral discipline through the practice of istiqomah (riyadhoh). Bearing in mind the current condition of modern society which is characterized by decadence and moral crisis caused by a liberal lifestyle and hedonism, the moral teachings of Sufism are very important to convey in an effort to improve social and individual order in everyday life

The Significance of the Islamic Education Teacher in Enhancing the Moral Development of Junior High School Students

Morals are a priority in Islam. This is based on the rule that the Prophet Muhammad was sent to the world as one of his main missions to perfect morals. In achieving a person's moral perfection, guidance is needed through education, namely Islamic education. There is a problem, namely some grade VIII students of A Junior High School in Mojokerto who have bad behavior towards friends, and teachers and do not obey school rules. This study aims to determine the role of Islamic education teachers in improving the morals of class VIII students at A Junior High School in Mojokerto. The type of research used by the author is qualitative field research. Data collection techniques used in this study were interviews/interviews, documentation, and observation. The results of the study can be concluded as the role of the Islamic Education (PAI) teacher in improving the morals of class VIII students at A Junior High School in Mojokerto. PAI teachers carry out their duties in a professional, responsible, patient, and sincere manner. So, class VIII students at A Junior High School in Mojokerto, who used to have poor morals, are now better, now they become individuals who have a polite attitude.

The Representation of Love in Manon Lescaut by Abbé Prévost

Abstract This work analyses the way in which the representation of love in the novel Manon Lescaut by Prévost highlights some important aspects that mark the perception of love in the eighteenth century. Following the literary tradition of Classicism, according to which passionate love is a source of evil and even of the protagonists’ death, in Prévost’s novel, the Chevalier Des Grieux’s passionate love arises from the concern of the Age of Enlightenment to emphasize the importance of individual identity, which implies the freedom and courage to decide on one’s own life, the refusal of one’s positioning in an inherited hierarchy, at the top of which there lies the paternal or divine authority. To illustrate this conviction, Prévost builds a love story in which the male character occupies the privileged place, and femininity does not represent strangeness or otherness but an artificial entity, one created from within the male figure to capture his departure from the original, paradisiacal state of moral perfection. Under these circumstances, the construction of the female character becomes a tribute to the literary tradition of the representation of charm and beauty as sources of the extreme degradation of the male character.

Moral Education in Wasiat Renungan Masa by TGKH. Muhammad Zainuddin Abdul Madjid: An Examination of Ibn Miskawaih's Philosophy

This research discusses the moral education found in “Wasiat Renungan Masa” by TGKH. Muhammad Zainuddin Abdul Madjid through an examination of Ibn Miskawaih's moral philosophy. The aim of this study is focused on understanding moral education within “Wasiat Renungan Masa” by using the lens of Ibn Miskawaih's moral philosophy. The research method employed is a literature analysis, which includes the identification of research objectives, data identification, data collection, data selection, data extraction, thematic analysis, comparison, contrast, pattern identification, as well as research conclusions and implications. The results of this study indicate that moral education in "Wasiat Renungan Masa" by TGKH. Muhammad Zainuddin Abdul Madjid, as examined through the philosophy of Ibn Miskawaih, emphasizes the importance of self-development and morality in living life. Through concepts of self-discipline, moral exercises, and the cultivation of good character, humans have the potential to attain spiritual happiness and moral perfection. The conclusion of this research provides a deeper insight into the moral values within these works and their relevance in the context of contemporary moral education. This research has practical implications in the development of moral education, the formation of individual character, and the enrichment of moral thought in an increasingly complex and changing society.