On the one hand, Ibn-Arabi speaks of "natural egoism" in a sense that the nature of man is such that the dominant tendency of his actions is the acquisition of his good, and the result of each action, materially or spiritually, returns to himself, but on the other hand, he emphasizes "moral altruism"; focused on compassion and reducing the pain and suffering of all human beings. Therefore, the problem of the present article is how the compatibility between natural egoism and moral altruism is possible. In order to approach this problem with a descriptive-analytical method, first, natural egoism is explained based on the mystical foundations of Ibn-Arabi about the special manifestation of human beings for Divine Names, and their capacities of fixed entities and their individuality in terms of their spiritual conduct, and personal goal. Then, focused on his view about the creation of human beings in the Divine form and their fundamental unity, moral altruism based on the inherent sanctity of human beings and the return of the good of every benevolent act to the individual- of course, with the breadth of its meaning to the "general self" - is justified, and finally, by emphasizing the dependency of individual good and happiness over collective good and happiness, the claimed compatibility is shown.
Mehdipour, H. (2023). “Natural Egoism” and “Moral Altruism” in the Mystical Thought of Ibn Arabi. Religions and Mysticism, 56(1), 9-28. doi: 10.22059/jrm.2023.363806.630464
MLA
Hasan Mehdipour. "“Natural Egoism” and “Moral Altruism” in the Mystical Thought of Ibn Arabi", Religions and Mysticism, 56, 1, 2023, 9-28. doi: 10.22059/jrm.2023.363806.630464
HARVARD
Mehdipour, H. (2023). '“Natural Egoism” and “Moral Altruism” in the Mystical Thought of Ibn Arabi', Religions and Mysticism, 56(1), pp. 9-28. doi: 10.22059/jrm.2023.363806.630464
VANCOUVER
Mehdipour, H. “Natural Egoism” and “Moral Altruism” in the Mystical Thought of Ibn Arabi. Religions and Mysticism, 2023; 56(1): 9-28. doi: 10.22059/jrm.2023.363806.630464