Comparative study of the theory of virtue from the point of view of Plotin and Mulla Sadra

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Mahmud saidy ¹
• Hossein Zamaniha ²

¹ Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Wisdom, Shahid University

² Associate Professor of the Philosophy and Wisdom Department of Shahid University

10.22067/epk.2024.90640.1384

Abstract

Virtue ethics is one of the most important branches of moral philosophy, which is the beginning of philosophical debates on this matter by Plato. After him, Aristotle also presented the theory of moral middle ground. Plotin and Mulla Sadra are two great divine philosophers in the field of Neo-Platonic and Islamic philosophy, whose views can be compared in many cases and directions, including virtue ethics. According to them, virtue is divided into two types: theoretical and practical, where the goal of theoretical virtue is to become like God or ideas, and the main virtues in the practical part, i.e., intelligence, courage, lust, and anger, are human helpers compared to theoretical virtues. . According to Mulla Sadra and Plotin, theoretical virtue has a higher order than practical virtue, but achieving perfection in both types is necessary to achieve happiness. Plotin's theory is ambiguous about how to attribute God or ideas to social virtues, but according to Mulla Sadra, a single being is not attributed to the specific characteristics of a material being, including social virtues, and has all human virtues in a unity and simplicity.

Keywords

• Plotinous
• Mulla Sadra
• virtue
• God
• idea
• ethics

Main Subjects

• Islamic Philosophy and Kalam

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