Study of Self-love based on the deontological ethics and Islamic view of virtue ethics

Somayye Sadat Musavi Abstract Considering the fact that self-love is an innate desire in all human beings and various and even opposing views have been suggested about it, the present study attempts to inspect this issue through ethical perspective using a comparative and analytic approach. In this study, two major ethical theories, that is, deontological and Islamic virtue ethics have been closely studied and compared. It is concluded in the essay that there is a contradiction between the definition of self-love offered by deontological theory and its other bases and principles, while based on Islamic ethics self-love having specific boundaries is a tool enabling the mankind to reach the ultimate human goal which is closeness to God.