Ibn Miskawayh’s Concept of Virtue and Cardinal Virtues Cover Image

İBN MİSKEVEYH’DE ERDEM KAVRAMI VE TEMEL ERDEMLER
Ibn Miskawayh’s Concept of Virtue and Cardinal Virtues

Author(s): Ramazan Turan
Subject(s): Psychology, Metaphysics, Ethics / Practical Philosophy, Theology and Religion, Islam studies
Published by: Tekirdağ Namık Kemal Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi
Keywords: İbn Miskeveyh;Virtue;Wisdom;Courage;Temperance;Justice;

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this study is to examine the concept of virtue and cardinal virtues which are the important concepts of philosophy of ethics, by Ibn Miskawayh’s point of view. Virtue for Miskeveyh generally means that all things acts proper to its own nature. Virtue is to pursuit of the acts that proper to intellect. Miskawayh -following both Plato and former Islamic Philosophers- appoints three virtues in counterpart for three faculties of the soul. Wisdom is related to rational faculty, courage is related to irascible faculty and temperance is related to appetitive faculty of the human soul. Justice is both the moderation between two extremes and harmony of these three virtues in the dominance of rational faculty. In fact Justice is the whole of virtue. Miskawayh was determined sub-virtues for each of the four virtues. This sub-virtues have provided great convenience in understanding the cardinal virtues. There was certainly influence of Miskawayh’s concept of virtue on later tradition of Islamic Ethics.

  • Issue Year: 1/2015
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 7-35
  • Page Count: 29
  • Language: Turkish