Quadruple principles of ethics in view of the ancients

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Studying and criticism Hygiene of morality

* Studying and criticism

* Scale for evaluation of good and bad morality

* Effect of seclusion and dissociability in morality

* Arguments of advocators of seclusion and association

* Exceptional cases in which seclusion is permitted

* Vigilance and self-examination or studying incentives and consequences First, we shall review a prospect of the principles of ethics in view of pioneers of this technique, and study exactly the course of their discussion in brief.

Ethics scholars have summarized principles of moral virtues in four articles:

1- Wisdom

2- Chastity

3- Bravery

4- Justice

They believe that each of these four principles has a norm, between two extremes of sensual powers and instincts, and so moral vices are on two sides of them, and there are two vicious attributes for each virtue.

1- Wisdom means moderation in recognition and understanding of realities as they are, and the opposite side in its high extreme is slyness and astuteness, which refers to hyperactivity of perception faculty and relying on the probabilities and doubtful matters and non-stability on correct theories, and in its low extreme is stupidity and dullness.

2- Chastity refers to moderation in using lusts and appropriate utilization from desires and instincts, and the opposite side in its high extreme is greed and self-indulgence and in its low extreme is numbness.

3- Bravery is moderation in anger faculty and fearing of what should be feared and not fearing of what should not, and the opposite side in its high extreme is rashness and temerity, and in its low extreme is cowardice and horror.

4- Justice refers to listening of desire and anger powers to intellect power and their appropriate control for correction and prosperity, and the opposite side in its high extreme is being oppressed and tolerance of oppression and in low extreme is injustice.

They assume moral vices infinite in one aspect, while moral virtues, as the normal limit and moderate point, have only one stage, and thus they have resembled it to the center of a circle, which is only one point, and the vices to infinite points existing within the circle.

It is narrated from Mohaghegh Tousi, Khajeh Nasireddin and some other scholars that the path described in the traditions as;

«اَدَقُّ مِنَ الشَّعْرِ وَ اَحَدُّ مِنَ السَّیْفِ».

is thinner than hair and sharper than sword, is the same moral moderation.(1)

Now, we shall see from where these quadruple principles have originated?

Ethics scholars say in reply: man's soul has three powers:

1- Power of perception and distinction

2- Power of acquiring benefit or attraction and in the other word desire (in its general sense)

3- Power of loss repulsion or repulsion and in the other word anger

Moderation in each of these powers forms one of the moral virtues, which are respectively, called wisdom, chastity and bravery.

And when two powers of desire and anger are under control of distinction and perception power, justice is achieved.

In other words, balance in each of above triple powers is considered as a virtue, but their combination with each other, that is desire and anger powers being controlled by perception power, will be another virtue. It often happens that a man is brave and for example, is not afraid unduly in the battle field, but this bravery may be utilized in a wrong way, like fighting for little and worthless objectives, and this is bravery but not justice. But if this bravery is applied for a high and intellectual objective and mixed with wisdom, justice is achieved.


1- Majlessi, Beharol Anvar, 270/73

 

 

 

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