History of ethical idealism
[1] In contrast, skeptical philosophers, such as Richard Rorty, have argued that the complex course of recorded history has shown that "to do the right thing is largely a matter of luck" and particularly is due to "being born in a certain place and a certain time.
"[3] Debates and discussions held on not just ethical idealism specifically but on the general difficulty of defining goodness versus evilness in an intellectual fashion has become a "great divide in contemporary philosophy".
"[5] American scholar Nicholas Rescher has stated that metaphysics comes into play when analyzing such a philosophical viewpoint about human thinking given that nature of ideals gives them a particular status as "useful fictions", with this developing in terms of their special existence relative to the broader concept of ethical choice.
He has described a worldview coming into focus via logical thinking based on moral idealism that he has defined in depth, remarking that "it [is] rational to strive for the unattainable" and that a "practicality" exists in "seriously pursuing impossible dreams."
He interpreted the human condition shared among multiple groups as tied together in a real, tangible fashion due to their mutual influences that've resulted from idealistic ethics, particularly by such ideas stimulating peoples' sense of motivation.
"[2]In a keynote speech given in August 2005, American scholar Richard Rorty remarked upon morally idealistic philosophy in the context of strictly specified principles through the lens of his views on applied ethics, asserting to a group of business professionals, "[I]ndividuals become aware of more alternatives, and therefore wiser, as they grow older.
He has highlighted the disconnect between intellectual abilities and other elements related to personal character, noting for instance the clarity of vision and rhetorical skill used by historical actors such as those inside of Nazi Germany.
[3] German philosopher Immanuel Kant's particular view of human nature and intellectual inquiry, later summed up as "Kantianism", stressed the inherent power of logical thinking in terms of moral analysis.
The latter thinker wrote that at a fundamental level Kant had understood that expressing an ideal meant applying "a regulative principle of reason" that commands one's mind to thus use logical thinking in painting a mental landscape "as if certain 'idealized' conditions could be realized".
Through the lens of Kant's doctrine, no ironclad divide has existed between morality and the natural world, with empirical analysis of human psychology dovetailing with studies of people's ideals.
