The Dēnkard VI: ‘Consequentialism’ and ‘Capitalism’ as Well as Paymān (The ancient Iranian ‘golden mean’)
Dēnkard (Acts of the religion), written in Pahlavi, is a summary of 10th-century knowledge of the Mazdean religion and is described by Jean de Menasce on the title page of his translation as a ‘Mazdean encyclopedia.’ The Dēnkard VI (Book VI of the Dēnkard) is representative of late antique and early...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Tabriz, Faculty of Literature and Forigen Languages
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Philosophical Investigations |
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| Online Access: | https://philosophy.tabrizu.ac.ir/article_17203_06ac49537923c552695850d2c15fd9ad.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797337882959020032 |
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| author | Shirzad Peik Herfeh |
| author_facet | Shirzad Peik Herfeh |
| author_sort | Shirzad Peik Herfeh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dēnkard (Acts of the religion), written in Pahlavi, is a summary of 10th-century knowledge of the Mazdean religion and is described by Jean de Menasce on the title page of his translation as a ‘Mazdean encyclopedia.’ The Dēnkard VI (Book VI of the Dēnkard) is representative of late antique and early medieval Zoroastrian ethical ideas. This article analyzes Book VI of the Dēnkard based on modern moral philosophy and introduces it as a candidate for early consequentialism and capitalism. The first generation of Iranian studies scholars in the late 19th and early 20th centuries such as Buch, Darmesteter, and Menant were aware of these concepts and even explained some of them, but the next generation did not take them seriously. This article also analyzes paymān (the ‘right measure’), that is the ancient Iranian ‘golden mean,’ in Book VI of the Dēnkard and shows the similarities and differences between paymān and the Aristotelian ‘golden mean.’ Probably, due to the biblical tradition in the interpretation of ancient religious texts or the anti-utilitarianism and anti-capitalism atmosphere in the second half of the 20th century, many scholars like Shaked inclined to the view that paymān is the main ethical principle of the Dēnkard VI and neglected its consequentialist and capitalist concepts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:23:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-755e9220ae6d48898fc8b4704fd7f7b5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2251-7960 2423-4419 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:23:01Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Tabriz, Faculty of Literature and Forigen Languages |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Philosophical Investigations |
| spelling | doaj.art-755e9220ae6d48898fc8b4704fd7f7b52024-01-31T11:03:19ZengUniversity of Tabriz, Faculty of Literature and Forigen LanguagesJournal of Philosophical Investigations2251-79602423-44192023-12-01174525026610.22034/jpiut.2023.59245.363617203The Dēnkard VI: ‘Consequentialism’ and ‘Capitalism’ as Well as Paymān (The ancient Iranian ‘golden mean’)Shirzad Peik Herfeh0Associate Professor of Philosophy Department, Imam Khomeini International University (IKIU), IranDēnkard (Acts of the religion), written in Pahlavi, is a summary of 10th-century knowledge of the Mazdean religion and is described by Jean de Menasce on the title page of his translation as a ‘Mazdean encyclopedia.’ The Dēnkard VI (Book VI of the Dēnkard) is representative of late antique and early medieval Zoroastrian ethical ideas. This article analyzes Book VI of the Dēnkard based on modern moral philosophy and introduces it as a candidate for early consequentialism and capitalism. The first generation of Iranian studies scholars in the late 19th and early 20th centuries such as Buch, Darmesteter, and Menant were aware of these concepts and even explained some of them, but the next generation did not take them seriously. This article also analyzes paymān (the ‘right measure’), that is the ancient Iranian ‘golden mean,’ in Book VI of the Dēnkard and shows the similarities and differences between paymān and the Aristotelian ‘golden mean.’ Probably, due to the biblical tradition in the interpretation of ancient religious texts or the anti-utilitarianism and anti-capitalism atmosphere in the second half of the 20th century, many scholars like Shaked inclined to the view that paymān is the main ethical principle of the Dēnkard VI and neglected its consequentialist and capitalist concepts.https://philosophy.tabrizu.ac.ir/article_17203_06ac49537923c552695850d2c15fd9ad.pdfthe dēnkard vipaymānconsequentialismthe golden meancapitalism |
| spellingShingle | Shirzad Peik Herfeh The Dēnkard VI: ‘Consequentialism’ and ‘Capitalism’ as Well as Paymān (The ancient Iranian ‘golden mean’) Journal of Philosophical Investigations the dēnkard vi paymān consequentialism the golden mean capitalism |
| title | The Dēnkard VI: ‘Consequentialism’ and ‘Capitalism’ as Well as Paymān (The ancient Iranian ‘golden mean’) |
| title_full | The Dēnkard VI: ‘Consequentialism’ and ‘Capitalism’ as Well as Paymān (The ancient Iranian ‘golden mean’) |
| title_fullStr | The Dēnkard VI: ‘Consequentialism’ and ‘Capitalism’ as Well as Paymān (The ancient Iranian ‘golden mean’) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Dēnkard VI: ‘Consequentialism’ and ‘Capitalism’ as Well as Paymān (The ancient Iranian ‘golden mean’) |
| title_short | The Dēnkard VI: ‘Consequentialism’ and ‘Capitalism’ as Well as Paymān (The ancient Iranian ‘golden mean’) |
| title_sort | denkard vi consequentialism and capitalism as well as payman the ancient iranian golden mean |
| topic | the dēnkard vi paymān consequentialism the golden mean capitalism |
| url | https://philosophy.tabrizu.ac.ir/article_17203_06ac49537923c552695850d2c15fd9ad.pdf |
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