The crisis lies in the loss of the ability to establish a unified ethics framework, after individualism has overtaken all forms of social solidarity. This dilemma is directly reflected in political, social, and cultural crises, where fixed reference points have disappeared, replaced by relativist notions that reduce ethics to variables susceptible to change based on the market and power dynamics.
Ethics in the West has shifted from being a standard to which one adheres, to a tool employed to justify interests and reproduce dominance. Consequently, 'truth' is now contingent on the strongest, and 'value' reflects shifting moods rather than a universal constant. Zygmunt Bauman encapsulated this condition with the term 'liquid modernity,' where absolutes dissolve, and values turn into flexible entities unable to withstand the pressures of the market and consumption.
The relativism that was promoted under the banner of intellectual freedom and ethics modernity ultimately led to the confinement of the individual within an isolated circle of individualism, rather than achieving true liberation. It resulted in the loss of the unifying meaning that connects one's existence to higher purposes. The collapse of grand references in the West has led to an 'age of subjectivism,' where every individual becomes their own ethics reference in the absence of shared standards. The result is that the West now faces a value vacuum, manifesting in various forms: the decline of family ties, the erosion of social solidarity, the rise of aggressive tendencies, and the transformation of the human being into a commodity within the mechanism of the globalized market.
However, the very void that reveals the pressing need to restore the 'ethics constant' as the foundation of humanity, not as a constraint on individual freedom. The entirety of historical experience has shown that societies do not thrive on absolute relativism, but rather on a system of deep-rooted values that give human existence meaning beyond the fleeting moment. In this context, the responsibility of Islamic thought becomes apparent, offering a universal alternative, an alternative that should not merely imitate the West's relativism, nor close itself off in rigid stagnation, but instead revive the Qur'anic vision that establishes ethics as the stable root of freedom, contrary to the perception held by some that ethics is the opposite of freedom. It is clear that the rebirth of societies begins with a ethics transformation that forms the deep structure of the human being.
The primary aim of the ontology of moral values is to answer this fundamental question: Are moral values objective truths independent of human beings, or are they a social construct arising from human preferences, tastes, and mutual agreements?
This article explores the perspective of the scholar Taqi Mohammad Taqi al-Misbah al-Yazdi, and compares it with the ideas of John Dewey, employing a descriptive-analytical approach. The article concludes that for both thinkers, ethical value is akin to a comparative measure "the causal relationship between human voluntary actions and the ideal of ethical perfection". It is both subjective and objective, and does not merely depend on individual or societal tastes and desires. While the scholar al-Misbah offers a realistic ethical perspective, John Dewey presents a non-realistic, idealistic one. Consequently, post-ethical and epistemological values are relative. This divergence in thought stems from foundational epistemological differences regarding the nature of ethical truth, the relativity of ethical values, and the general criterion for ethical value, the collective good and realism in the view of the scholar al-Misbah, versus the integration of Darwinian thought in John Dewey’s perspective.
This is through a series of key concepts: the concepts of faith and ethics, the relationship between ethics and religion, faith as a source of ethical values, the displacement of faith and the ethical emptiness in the West, ethical rigidity and Arab-Islamic thought, and living according to faith in accordance with noble ethics.
Through these concepts, the paper research engages with Western propositions that have sought to remove faith from the realm of ethics and values, promoting a perceived conflict between faith-based ethics and secular humanistic ethics. The study reveals that the supposed disagreement, claimed by Western scholars is merely an illusion, resulting from either an inability to comprehend the true essence of faith or a deliberate attempt to displace faith as a source of ethical meaning in favor of the Western intellectual model, which currently seeks to make empirical science the foundation for ethical judgment.
It defends the thesis that ethics grounded in faith, which unites the inner and outer aspects of humanity, its meaning and structure, its religion and worldly life, is the ideal model for solving the ethical crisis faced by contemporary humans in general. It is also the most effective remedy for the ethical emptiness created by Western modernity.
Many believe that Immanuel Kant's "duty theory" is the most well-known expression of deontology, which is studied and criticized from various perspectives. Reviewing it from the standpoint of Islamic moral foundations is a necessary and significant undertaking.
In this paper research, utilizing an analytical and critical approach, and drawing on sources related to Islamic ethics, we aim to evaluate Kant’s theory in light of the teachings and principles of Islamic morality. Despite the remarkable potential and advantages of Kant's theory, his absolutist methodology and radical rationalism have posed significant challenges, becoming targets for criticism and rebuttals to some of his assumptions and claims. Among these is the accusation of failing to build ethics on religion and the invalidity of such an approach. From the perspective of proponents of religious ethics, these critiques represent, at least, some of the most important weaknesses in Kant's framework and theory.
One of the manifestations of these concepts is the transformation of human life into a "liquid life." Consequently, human relationships are increasingly governed by the logic of utilitarianism and pragmatism, based on the principles of acquisition and consumption, or abstention and rejection, much like any commodity or consumer product. Speed and instability have thus become the defining traits of liquid modernity, and similarly of liquid life, including ethics and values. The only constant element today is change and instability. Then, we proceed to examine the structure of ethics according to the French philosopher Michel Foucault, focusing on the concept of the self and its position, the relationship between ethics and power, and the issue of ethics and freedom. Foucault framed the relativity of ethics through his concepts and analytical approaches, particularly regarding the re-reading of the self, the relationship between ethics and power, and the connection between ethics and freedom. Ethics, according to Foucault, becomes a "project of beauty", growing through the self’s engagement with and challenge to power. In his exploration of the aesthetics of behavior and the mechanisms of beautiful existence, ethics is revealed as a conscious practice of freedom. Life, thus, becomes an art form, and art no longer concerns itself solely with objects or is limited to artists; through freedom and the available space, individuals can turn their life into an art piece, making it worthy of being lived. It concludes with a critical analysis of the break with totalizing values.
It adopted scientific rationalism and intellectual superiority as measures for the development of its people, as well as a symbol of their rise. Furthermore, it insisted on the adoption of pragmatic utilitarianism, sometimes influenced by British utilitarian philosophy, and at other times in its distorted form, as its proponents preferred to call it. The American philosopher John Dewey proposed a reformist pragmatism, rejecting foreign elements like individualism and narrow utilitarianism, as well as the idea that "the ends justify the means." Dewey aimed to present a pragmatism that differed from its predecessors in the breadth of its utilitarian values and its narrow framework, seeking to expand its scope to include society as a whole, viewing it as a progressive value striving for the common good. He placed democracy above all else, fearing the rise of fascism and Stalinism, which were re-emerging in Europe on the eve of the World Wars.
It also reveals how these reforms failed to withstand the ambitions of successive U.S. administrations. Moreover, Dewey’s pragmatism contained inherent limitations and contradictions from its inception. Over the following decades, utilitarian values became increasingly dominant, with contemporary American thinkers acknowledging a deep chasm between the power of the United States and the legitimate demands of its citizens for basic human rights.
These terms encompass all categories of people.
A non-Muslim can fall under one of four categories, with no fifth option. These categories are: the ignorant but excusable, ignorant due to lack of knowledge, the ignorant but negligent, those who could have known the truth but did not seek it, the defiant, those who knowingly reject the truth), and the rejecter, those who are fully aware of the truth but intentionally deny it.
If a person is ignorant and sincerely believes their religion is true, or if they have investigated and are convinced their faith is right, they are excused. However, if they are negligent or capable of knowing the truth but fail to seek it, they are held accountable for their negligence at the very least. As for the rejecter, they are someone who recognizes the truth but denies it for some reason, and they will be held accountable without a doubt.
It should be noted that the number of excused non-Muslim minors is not small, as some might think, but rather large. Indeed, we may see the majority of non-Muslims going to Paradise, contrary to the claims of some that the majority of non-Muslims will go to Hell.
The book consists of a collection of articles that revolve around the theme of ethics and its relationship with religion and philosophy, along with a range of other topics related to the philosophy of ethics. It can be said that the central issue the author attempts to prove and clarify is that ethics are separate from religion. The author advocates for what is called "religion-free ethics," and he expresses this as "moralism." This is a state that a person can reach regardless of their belief in this religion or that, or even without belief in the existence of a Creator. In this brief study, we aimed to highlight the key aspects of the book and its most significant issues, offering a critical reading of each article.
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