Ethical Requirements in the Social Realm

Moral values are among the most significant elements that constitute social improvement; but since our moral literature often has taken an individualist attitude, it would be necessary to reconsider the Islamic moral works in light of society and civilization . Criticizing in detail and denying Max Weber’s claim that politics and ethics are separable, the author acknowledges that moral foundations, principles, and teachings concerning the individual and social spheres may be organized in a single ethical system . The author also maintains that the social sphere of ethics has special requirements and demands which cannot be seen from a personal perspective and call for a more general social outlook . Thus this essay seeks to compare and contrast social ethics with individual ethics in terms of subject matter, end, source, and the type of obligation, and thereby makes clear the requisite for reconsidering the Islamic moral teachings in light of social understanding and its consequences .