Ma`rifat Akhlaqi

Anthropological foundations have a significant impact on the structure and content of ethical discussions. The more precise these foundations are, the more robust the ethical discussions based on them will be. The aim of the present study is to explain the anthropological foundations of ethics in the view of Ayatollah Miṣbāḥ Yazdī. For this purpose, a descriptive-analytical method has been used. Based on the findings, fifteen anthropological foundations of ethics were identified: the composition of the human being from a material body and an immaterial soul; free will; neediness; purposiveness of the human being; social nature; dignity; a common monotheistic nature (fiṭrah); the capacity for attention; the possibility of the soul’s perfection and descent; longitudinal levels and transversal functions of the soul; inclination toward good and evil; human inclination toward survival, perfection, and pleasure; human perfection through proximity (to God); the motivational role of pleasure; and the efficacy of human effort. According to these findings, it can be concluded that: (1) in ethics, attention must be paid to the primary inclinations of the human being and moral motivations strengthened accordingly; (2) in the process of moral education, human effort should be given special consideration in order to enhance moral responsibility; (3) measures must be taken in ethics for the proper guidance of human inclinations, since their correct guidance helps manifest virtues and prevent vices; (4) given Allāmah Miṣbāh’s view, the appropriate approach in ethics is the theory of proximity to God (Qurb-e Ilāhī), not the theory of moderation (i‘tidāl).