Ethic in process philosophy

This dissertation aims to analyze the ethical aspects of process philosophy. Conceptual basis of process philosophy relies on certain ethical assumption about the nature, human beings and universe and God. Thus, process thought develops certain concepts related to the psychological, axiological foundations of theory of ethics. Although no major philosopher associated with the process philosophy has outlined a theory of ethics, the some of the followers of process philosophy defends a form of ethics drawn form process theory. Some of the followers of process philosophy have attempted to develop theses that the cosmological basis of process philosophy lends support to a process ethics. In this regard we tried to determine whether it is possible to develop an ethics from the process philosophy. For this reason, we will examine the opinions of some process philosophers and their ideas related to moral subjects. In the first chapter we tried to analyze process philosophy in order to determine the psychological basis of human morality, such as will, self, act, freedom which constitutes the foundations of a moral philosophy. Then, the concept of action and moral behavior are compared with the other approaches to moral action. Second chapter deals with the issues related to ethical values. In this chapter we tried to examine the axiological foundations of ethical actions and development of values according to the process philosophy. In order to determine the effects of values on the constitution of natural order and human actions we investigated the process metaphysics and the ontological status of beings in general. In the third chapter the moral order or moral sphere is discussed. The moral spheres at the natural, social and individual levels are analyzed in terms of the factors determining development of moral personality. In addition we evaluated the applications of progressive concepts to questions related to social and individual morality such as issues of justice, peace, political ethics, and self-realization of person and development of conscious and moral perfection in individual. The dissertation concludes with the observation that the process philosophy consists of certain conceptions regarding the God, universe, nature, human action which have significant ethical implications. Key Words: Self Control, Self-Confidence, Personality, Freewill, Self Realization.