Study of Preference Structure in Inference of Ethical System from Religious Propositions

Document Type : Original Article

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Abstract

If we intend to discover the ethical values system from among the religious sources and wish to achieve the degrees of good and evil, i.e., to distinguish good from better and bad from worse; therefore, we would turn to such concepts as comparative and superlative adjective. At first glance, we expect this concept to have only one instance, but contrary to the initial expectation, different and various instances have been stated for it in the verses and traditions!
The exegetes have proposed several suggestions in interpretation of these verses and the reconciliation between the proofs: abrogation of the prior proof, negation of the initial diversity of subject, affirmation of the diversity of subject without claiming equality, affirmation of the diversity of subject and claiming their equality, restricting the circle of preference (tafḍīl) (negation of absolute preference and relativity of preference), absolute negation of preference, and predication on exaggeration.
In this writing, we examined these probabilities and by induction of the applications of this mode we made the conclusion that the principle of generality and absolutism are not executed in the comparative mode; rather, concerning this mode, the principality of delimitation applies, unless there is proof for its negation.