In our world, everything has its own value - material and spiritual. But not everyone knows exactly what spiritual values are. As children we value the love and care of adults, as teenagers we begin to become attached to material things, and as adults we can be consumed by the pursuit of material values.
For the rest of my life I have remembered the words of an elderly teacher who lived in our house about the priority of moral values over material ones. That day we passed the exam at school and relaxed on a bench in the yard. An elderly woman approached us and made a remark, to which we responded with rudeness. And so, after many years, her words became clear: “Do with people the way you want them to do with you.” This is also called the boomerang effect.
General information
The spiritual and moral ideals of the individual serve as a role model. Society places certain demands on people for moral behavior. Its carrier is precisely moral ideals. The image of a highly developed personality in moral terms embodies those positive qualities that serve as a standard for relationships and behavior between people. It is these characteristics that force a person in particular and society as a whole to improve their moral character, and therefore to develop.
Ideal human life
From all of the above, we can say that each person has his own value system. Each person sets certain goals for himself. By achieving them, a person realizes his ideal of life.
For one, the ideal in life is family, for another, material values. Each of us has our own ideal of life. Everyone makes efforts to achieve it. To do this, he sets goals for himself. This is very important, it is the goal that motivates a person to develop in the direction he needs.
Attitude of scientists
The ideals and moral values of different times differed from each other. Many famous thinkers and poets raised this topic in their works. For Aristotle, the moral ideal consisted of self-contemplation, knowledge of the truth and detachment from worldly affairs. According to Kant, within every personality there is a “perfect man.” The moral ideal is the instruction for his actions. This is a kind of internal compass that brings a person closer to perfection, but at the same time does not make him perfect. Each philosopher, scientist, and theologian had his own image and his own understanding of the moral ideal.
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Moral ideals undoubtedly contribute to the self-education of the individual. A person, through an effort of will and the understanding that the goal must be achieved, strives to achieve and conquer the heights of the moral plane. Moral ideals are the basis on which moral principles and norms are subsequently formed. All this happens on the basis of interests in a person’s life. The life situation in which the individual finds himself is also important. For example, during the war years, moral ideals focused on the image of a courageous, valiant, noble person who owns weapons, but uses them only to protect his land and his family.
The meaning of spiritual values
The main meaning of spiritual values is clear from the definition of this concept. They help us make decisions, serve as a guide, control our lives and give it meaning. However, they are not directly related to material wealth. However, due to the fact that they serve as a driving force that helps to develop and achieve set goals, they ultimately contribute to the achievement and strengthening of material well-being.
If we focus on personal growth and self-realization, then spiritual values have an amazing impact on our lives. They give us knowledge, guidelines, goals and motivation for continuous progress. In fact, they can be considered as superpowers that can direct energy in the right direction, to provide us with additional resources for self-realization, to take us to a new level.
Impact on the development of society
Understanding of the moral ideal extends to the whole society. A person dreams of seeing himself in a society that will be built on humane and fair principles. In this case, the ideal is the image of a society in which it is possible to express the interests of certain social groups, their concepts of higher justice and the social order that would be better.
The moral indicators of the social ideal consist of the equal distribution of life's goods among members of society, the relationship between human rights and responsibilities. Highly moral elements include the individual’s abilities, his place in life, his contribution to public life and the amount received in return for this. Moral ideals determine positive life indicators and the ability to achieve a happy existence. In striving for perfection, which is the ultimate goal of all endeavors, man and society must use only moral means.
The concept of a moral ideal
Definition 1
A moral ideal is a type of people’s idea of a perfect person who embodies the best moral qualities and is a role model, a standard of behavior; a goal towards which a person should direct all his efforts.
The basis of the moral ideal is people’s dissatisfaction with their own lives, the desire to improve it, to achieve happiness through moral self-improvement or transformation of existing reality.
The content of the moral ideal can change; it reflects the needs and aspirations of people living in different historical eras. The personification of the moral ideal can be considered the legendary figure - Christ, or the historical figure and thinker - Socrates. We have already completed an essay
Axiology of Socrates in more detail, a literary character - the Gadfly, or a real living person - often a film actor. At the same time, the image of a morally perfect person, which is a complete model, a ready-made model of behavior, cannot contain all the wealth of moral qualities and character traits that have a positive meaning for other people. In this regard, a person in his life strives not only to achieve one or another moral ideal, but is also guided by such moral principles and laws that allow him to more freely make independent decisions regarding specific situations and are consistent with his own beliefs.
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The moral ideal is in close connection with the social ideal, since the fulfillment of many moral requirements addressed to the individual, for example, to be fair, is impossible without changes in society itself. In addition, the concept of justice applies not only to a person, it is the basis of a social ideal as an idea of a perfect and best social order.
The concept of “moral ideal” in its historical development acts as an indispensable component of spiritual culture, which, in turn, is reflected in everyday events, in works of art, religious and scientific works. Considering this situation, it is necessary to come to the concept of a moral ideal.
The ideal is:
- the most general, universal and absolute moral idea of what is good and proper;
- image of perfection in interpersonal relationships;
- the highest unconditional example of a moral personality.
The philosophical dictionary gives the following definition:
Definition 2
A moral ideal is an idea of moral perfection, which is most often expressed by an image of a person, embodying moral qualities that can act as the highest moral example.
Finished works on a similar topic
Course work The moral ideal is an unattainable, but necessary condition of individual and social existence 450 ₽ Abstract The moral ideal is an unattainable, but necessary condition of individual and social existence 280 ₽ Test work The moral ideal is an unattainable, but necessary condition of individual and social existence 210 ₽
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When considering moral systems, it is especially important to understand the relationship between reality and ideal in them. Two historically established approaches are indicative of this point of view - naturalistic and transcendental. Within the framework of the naturalistic approach, there are three interpretations of the term “ideal”:
- consideration of the ideal as the result of generalization and absolutization of what is the subject of human needs;
- an ideal is the result of a generalization of norms and rules or the abstraction of this content from specific tasks of action, that is, the concept of an ideal has been brought closer to the concept of behavioral norms;
- The ideal is represented by a requirement or value that arises from social or individual reality, which also opens up broader perspectives for a person, that is, the ideal retains the image of perfection. But in this case, the ideal is reduced to value orientation or behavioral attitudes, and at the same time is devoid of universal and absolute characteristics.
Within the framework of the transcendental approach, the ideal is considered as existing regardless of reality, and is given to a person directly in the moral experience he receives, which contradicts reality and facts. This approach is characteristic of Russian religious philosophy, as reflected in the works of such thinkers as Ilyin I.A., Berdyaev N.A., Lossky I.O. and others who created their own religious system, but are based on facts, and therefore present ideal manifestations of religious feat or community life.
It should be noted that the question of the origin of the ideal is not fully understood to this day. However, the definition of the content of good and evil, due, right and wrong, which is reflected in culture, depends on the ideal.
Content
Lenin considered moral ideals to be the “moral highest”, combining positive characteristics. In his opinion, they represented everything necessary for people and were a model for society. The content of the ideal is built from moral properties assessed on the highest scale. Consciousness elevates to a superlative degree those highly moral traits, qualities, and relationships of people that are valid and real in their essence. Society and the individual strive to implement moral values. Each member of society must think with dignity and correctly, be able to build relationships and interact. The ideal is accompanied by certain positive emotional manifestations. These include, in particular, admiration, approval, and the desire to be better. All this is a strong stimulant, forcing a person to strive for self-education and self-development. There are several types of ideal: regressive and reactionary, real and utopian. The content of moral qualities has changed throughout history. The ideals of the past, due to their illusory nature and isolation from reality, which were not aimed at the activity of an individual, remained inaccessible. Even the essence of progressive, highly moral indicators was based on subjective wishes, without awareness of the impartiality of the law and ways of achieving it.
Morality in the 21st century
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Currently, moral principles are increasingly being declared archaic or classified as prejudices. It is believed that modern moral norms must be scientifically substantiated, sufficiently reasoned, and subject to logic. Current society does not accept many rules of morality only on faith without an evidence base. However, personal moral standards are formed for each person based on his worldview and personal beliefs.
Important! The biblical 10 commandments are relevant and universal to this day and are not denied by modern adherents of logical morality.
The eternal struggle between good and evil
Modern influence
During the communist system, moral ideals were called upon to serve the formation and strengthening of the existing system. An indicator of high morality in modern society is a harmoniously developed personality. She is distinguished by the desire for moral perfection. Society makes certain moral demands on its members. Together they form a model of a fully developed personality. Constantly enriching themselves, replenished with something new, they reflect the development of the moral practice of socialist society. The society of socialist times puts in the first place personal culture, active citizenship, a sense of public duty, consistency between words and deeds, and honesty.
The moral ideals of our time are active and effective, connected with the needs of society. They take on real shape in the socialist interaction of members of society. The moral foundations of our time are active in the areas of self-improvement, moral education and self-development. Plekhanov said that the more actively a person strives to achieve a social ideal, the higher he becomes morally. But even in socialist times, highly moral indicators, although not coinciding with reality, go one step ahead. They set certain goals for a person, consisting of constant movement, a continuous process of development. Increasing the social activity of the individual, improving social practice and moral education - all this together will help resolve the contradictions that have arisen between reality and the moral ideal.
What are moral principles
Moral principles are a form of manifestation of the internal moral requirements of a particular person, a group of people or an entire society. Human society is constantly transforming, and moral standards are changing along with it: what was considered unacceptable and reprehensible some time ago can now be considered normal and not cause condemnation.
The formation of moral principles is greatly influenced by religion, spiritual teachings, culture, education, and personal beliefs of each individual. Adhering to moral standards, a person will not allow himself to descend into the state of a wild animal, and will keep his instincts within certain limits accepted in a given society.
