Examining the Content of Versified Kalila va Dimna by Qan‘i Tusi Based on Utilitarianism
Subject Areas : شاهنامه
Asieh
Zabihnia Emran
1
(Associate Professor, Payam Noor University of Yazd (corresponding author))
Keywords: Ethics, Kalila wa Dimna, Utilitarianism, hedonism, Qan‘i Tusi,
Abstract :
Kalila va Dimna written by Nasrullah Munshi was rendered into the Persian literature by Qan‘i Tusi in the seventh century AD. It contains 10548 couplets and is composed in poetic meter named bahr-e motaqarib. Kalila va Dimna deals with ethical and moral teachings; hence it could be studied on the basis of moral theories. Utilitarianism is one of these moral schools. The originality of pleasure as the criterion for doing an action is the normative moral system of utilitarianism. Therefore, in this school, values are preserved and advanced as far as they can be interpreted based upon the interests of individual and their collective pleasure. However, the interest of the individual always takes precedence over the collective well-being in this school. With a descriptive and analytical method, the present article tries to answer the question that which of the types of utilitarianism is more frequent in the Persian versified version of Kalila va Dimna by Qan‘i Tusi? According to the existing researches, Kalila va Dimna is composed in the form of rendering moral and ethical teachings. However, its texts mainly insist on the priority of personal interest over the collective interest. It is to the extent that it orders the king to eliminate a subordinate if he would progress in his hierarchical rank.
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