Perfectionism (philosophy)

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Not to be confused with Perfectionism (psychology).

In ethics and value theory, perfectionism is the persistence of will in obtaining the optimal quality of spiritual, mental, physical, and material being. The neo-Aristotelean Thomas Hurka describes perfectionism as follows:

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.[1]

The perfectionist does not believe that one can attain a perfect life or state of living. Rather, a perfectionist practices steadfast perseverance in obtaining the best possible life or state of living.

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[edit] History

Perfectionism, as a moral theory, has a long history and has been addressed by influential philosophers. Aristotle stated his conception of the good life (eudaimonia). He taught that politics and political structures should promote the good life among individuals; because the polis can best promote the good life, it should be adopted over other forms of social organization. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote that the individual reaches perfection by exercising the will to power.

[edit] Perfectionism and happiness

Perfection means more than happiness or pleasure, and is very distinct from utilitarianism in its most complex and simple forms. A society devoted to perfectionist principles may not produce happy citizens—far from it.

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.[2]

There are no universal parameters of perfection. Individuals and cultures choose those values that, for them, represent the ideal of perfection. For example, one individual may view education as leading perfection, while to another beauty is the highest ideal.

John Stuart Mill's utilitarianism is a form of perfectionism that ranks certain kinds of happiness as being more virtuous than others, and has its own definition of the good life.

[edit] Perfectionism and transhumanism

Philosopher Mark Alan Walker argues that rational perfectionism is, or should be, the ethical imperative behind transhumanism.[3]

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Hurka, Thomas (1993). Perfectionism. Oxford University Press, p. 3.
  2. ^ Naquet, Aflred (1904). L'Anarchie et le Collectivisme.
  3. ^ Walker, Mark Alan (2001). Human Versus Absolute Perfectionism.

[edit] References

  • Adderholt-Elliot, Miriam (1999). Perfectionism: What's So Bad About Being Too Good? Free Spirit Press.
  • Antony, Martin and Richard Swinson (1998). When Perfect Isn't Good Enough. New Harbinger Publications.

[edit] See also