THE ETHICS OF DUTY AND REBELLION: AN ANALYSIS OF TWO DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS OF MORALITY

Abstract

Ethics is undoubtedly one of the predominant subjects of philosophy. The question of what lies at the source of morality and what content a thought, attitude, or action must possess to hold moral value has been a matter of debate throughout human history. In this context, those who evaluate morality on an epistemic ground have linked it to human knowledge and, consequently, to the level of intellect; those who approach it through its consequences have evaluated it in terms of the utility or happiness it provides to humans; and those who believe it originates from a divine source have characterized morality as a divine command. Within the framework of all these approaches, some have also treated morality with a much more idealized character. The most striking example of this in Western Thought is Immanuel Kant's "Ethics of Duty," while its counterpart in Modern Turkish-Islamic Thought is Nurettin Topçu's "Ethics of Rebellion." This study primarily aims to analyze the contents of both conceptions of morality and evaluate them in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. The study is largely based on a primary literature review encompassing both thinkers' evaluations of morality.