An ideal is a
principle
A principle is a proposition or value that is a guide for behavior or evaluation. In law, it is a Legal rule, rule that has to be or usually is to be followed. It can be desirably followed, or it can be an inevitable consequence of something, suc ...
or
value
Value or values may refer to:
Ethics and social
* Value (ethics) wherein said concept may be construed as treating actions themselves as abstract objects, associating value to them
** Values (Western philosophy) expands the notion of value beyo ...
that one actively pursues as a
goal, usually in the context of
ethics, and one's prioritization of ideals can serve to indicate the extent of one's dedication to each. The belief in ideals is called ethical idealism.
In some theories of
applied ethics, such as that of
Rushworth Kidder, there is importance given to such orders as a way to
resolve disputes. In
law, for instance, a
judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
is sometimes called on to resolve the balance between the ideal of
truth, which would advise hearing out all evidence, and the ideal of fairness. Given the complexity of putting ideals into practice, and resolving conflicts between them, it is not uncommon to see them reduced to
dogma. One way to avoid this, according to
Bernard Crick, is to have ideals that themselves are descriptive of a process, rather than an outcome. His
political virtues try to raise the practical habits useful in resolving disputes into ideals of their own. A
virtue, in general, is an ideal that one can make a
habit.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ideal (Ethics)
Philosophy of life
Concepts in ethics