perfectionism

View more Literature & Language videos

The view that the role of the state is to promote morally acceptable conceptions of the good life, rather than simply to provide a neutral or impartial framework in which each person may pursue his or her own conception of the good life. To the extent that liberalism has been identified with this second (instrumental) view, perfectionism has had an uncertain relationship with the liberal tradition, illustrated by J. S. Mill's endorsement of the so-called higher pleasures within an apparently utilitarian framework. Joseph Raz's defence of the promotion of autonomy as a legitimate state activity provides a contemporary example of liberal perfectionism. Such liberal perfectionism may be usefully compared to accounts of the human good provided within the natural law tradition (which need not issue in any liberal commitments). Perfectionism may be distinguished from eighteenth- and nineteenth-century ideas about human perfectibility. Liberal perfectionism requires moral discrimination by the state about valuable ways of life; the older doctrine referred to the capacity of persons to move towards perfection.

— Andrew Reeve

The ethical position that the goal of life is to pursue a perfect ideal of character and conduct. The view is held amongst the Stoics, but also in Christian writing, since Jesus requires perfection of those who would follow him. A ‘counsel of perfection’ is the way for attaining the ideal; however, common morality and later Christian writers acknowledged that as well as such counsels we need rules whose application is rather more practical, and obedience to which is more of a duty than self-improvement.

See words rhyming with "perfectionist."

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - perfektionisme

Nederlands (Dutch)
perfectionisme

Français (French)
n. - perfectionnisme

Deutsch (German)
n. - Perfektionismus

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - τελειοθηρία, αναζήτηση της τελειότητας, περφεξιονισμός

Italiano (Italian)
perfezionismo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - perfeccionismo (m)

Русский (Russian)
перфекционизм, высокая требовательность

Español (Spanish)
n. - perfeccionismo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - perfektionism

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
至善论, 圆满论, 尽善尽美主义

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 至善論, 圓滿論, 盡善盡美主義

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 완전론, 완전주의

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 完全論, 完全主義

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الكماليه : مذهب يدعو للكمال‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שאיפה לשלמות‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.