Ideal (philosophy)

An ideal, in ethics, is a principle or a value that is proposed as a model of perfection to follow. As such, it is an unattainable but infinitely approachable state.

The heroic figure of Achilles, a character of stories like the IliadHe has been known for his idealism expressed through his personal courage and honor.

Terms related to the ideal are ethical idealism, moral idealism, and principled idealism. An idealist An ethicist, moral idealist, principled idealist, or simply an idealist insists on upholding ideals even at considerable cost to holding such a belief.

According to the definition of Armando Cíntora: «in principle, only human beings can have ideals or develop behavior in search of ideals». Arguably, while ideals are fuzzy concepts with no clear definition, they remain an influential part of not only personal choice, but also the broader social direction of all civilization. The continuous approximation in search of certain ideals has participated in what is commonly called the progress of humanity.

The term "ideal" It has been applied to organizations such as independent churches, social activist groups, political parties, nation states, and more. The ideals of an entity often function as a way of setting firm guidelines for decision making. Choosing ethical ideals is closely related to intellectual freedom.

Controversy

Ideals as a topic receive discussion from both spiritual and lay people within a variety of fields both historically and more recently.

The designation of individuals and/or groups as "idealists" It has some complexity. In the sense of metaphysical thought, idealism is usually described as focusing on a particular view of objective reality as opposed to perception of reality; The question of whether or not potential knowledge exists independently of humanity or whether such knowledge is solely tied to experiences in the mind is debated. Even within that particular intellectual sphere, the stamp of "idealist" applied to particular philosophers, who often hold rather nuanced views, it attracts considerable controversy.

The dividing line between an ideal and a virtue is a difficult one. It has been argued that ideals inherently involve aspirations, while virtues function as direct guides for assigned conduct according to social standards. The analysis has run into problems as both entities are fuzzy concepts. In general, some philosophers have argued that an ideal is usually something more inherent that one can make a habit of it, whereas virtues, in contrast, necessarily involve going beyond regular decision-making to actively strive for something. Therefore, these thinkers have claimed that the virtues inherently constitute behavior that, by its very nature, is very difficult to convert into regular practice. Other philosophers have made the opposite argument and have seen virtues as fundamentally philosophically weaker entities than ideals. Given the complexity of putting ideals into practice, not to mention resolving conflicts between them, many people have chosen to pick a certain group of them and then harden them into absolute dogma. Political theorist Bernard Crick has stated that one way to resolve this dilemma is to have ideals that themselves describe a generalized process rather than a specific result, particularly when the latter is difficult to achieve.