Foundations of Ethics: Human Nature, Need, and Voluntary Action

A variety of theories in the philosophy of ethics have dealt with the problem of the source of ethics, among them we can refer to the theory based on natural law, the theory based on human nature, the theory based on needs, and the theory based on inter-personal agreements. Some of these theories, such as the latter one, have severe problems and are incapable of explaining ethical experiences. Some others, such as the one based on human nature, faces serious questions, although it seems that one may offer a new version of them that survives all difficulties. The author in this article suggests a theory that has a lot in common with the second and the third theory. In fact, it tries to combine the positive points of both while answering objections they face. This article explains the essence of “ethical command” and distinguishes it from social customs and conventions. Evaluating the view that considers “loving oneself” the only fundamental motivation, the author tries to explicate the role of other human desires in the formation of ethics and ethical decisions. The influence of different elements on ethical judgment is distinguished from each other, and the procedure of abstraction of ethical concepts is analyzed: comparing the relation between human nature, voluntary actions and attributes, and their positive and negative effects on a human being.