Perfectionism (philosophy)

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Perfectionism can be thought of as the persistence of will in obtaining the optimal present and future quality of spiritual, mental, physical, and material being.

Thomas Hurka, a neo-Aristotelean, in his aptly titled book, Perfectionism, provides an introductory answer to what is perfectionism:

“This moral theory starts from an account of the good life, or the intrinsically desirable life. And it characterizes this life in a distinctive way. Certain properties, it says, constitute human nature or are definitive of humanity—they make humans human. The good life, it then says, develops these properties to a high degree or realizes what is central to human nature. Different versions of the theory may disagree about what the relevant properties are and so disagree about the content of the good life. But they share the foundational idea that what is good, ultimately, is the development of human nature.”

It should not be misunderstood that a perfectionist believes one can obtain a "perfect" life or state of living, rather a perfectionist practices stead fast perseverance in obtaining the optimal life or state of living. It is also important to understand that the optimal life or state of living is not only material, but also spiritual, mental, and physical.

1 History of Perfectionism
2 Perfectionism vs. Happiness
3 Perfectionism & Transhumanism
4 References
5 See also

[edit] History of Perfectionism

Perfectionism, as a moral theory, has had a very long history and has been touched by some of the great and influential philosophers. Friedrich Nietzsche, with his view that individual human beings reach perfection when they exercise their will to power maximally, was a perfectionist.

However, the most influential perfectionist philosopher of all has to be Aristotle, who, with his conception of the good life (eudaimonia), and that politics and political structures should promote the good life amongst individuals; because the polis can best promote the good life, it should be adopted over other forms of social organisation.

[edit] Perfectionism vs. Happiness

Perfection, it is worthwhile noting, means more than happiness or pleasure, and is very distinct from utilitarianism in its most complex and simple forms. A society geared along perfectionist principles may not produce happy citizens, far from it. As Alfred Naquet remarked in L'Anarchie et le Collectivisme:

“The true rôle of collective existence...is to learn, to discover, to know. Eating, drinking, sleeping, living, in a word, is a mere accessory. In this respect, we are not distinguished from the brute. Knowledge is the goal. If I were condemned to choose between a humanity materially happy, glutted after the manner of a flock of sheep in a field, and a humanity existing in misery, but from which emanated, here and there, some eternal truth, it is on the latter my choice would fall.”

The form upon which perfection takes shape is different for each person. For instance, one man may find further education as a form of perfection while another finds physical beauty as a form of perfection.

Each person must decide for themselves what perfection is. Perfectionism should be thought of in existential means, although there may be a perfection which yields the most successful results over a large period of time each person can decide for themselves what perfection they will strive for. There are no set parameters of perfection, the idea of perfection changes from person to person, culture to culture.

[edit] Perfectionism & Transhumanism

Philosopher Mark Alan Walker argues that rational perfectionism is or should be the ethical imperative behind transhumanism in his essay Absolute Versus Human Perfectionism.