In his introduction, Iqan Shahidi reviews four books about development, ethics, and virtue in Iranian society:
- Civic Ethics is an educational and practical work about behavioral patterns in democratic societies, which includes ethics in government, citizenship, community, mental and physical health, and appendices about teaching democracy.
- Darius’ Narrative is an explanation of the perspective of Darius the Assyrian, who sees development as rooted in language and culture, not simply economics and politics, and introduces a concept called “open language” as the key to development.
- The Narrative of Culture is an analysis of the perspective of culture Rajai, who sees development in the “political matter” and the enjoyment of inclusive production, and considers the transition from “world domination” to “global rule” as a prerequisite for it.
- Towards a Virtuous Society is a comparative reinterpretation of virtue in moral philosophy from ancient Greece to the present day, which, relying on the tradition of virtue, suggests a way to overcome modern crises and achieve a morally-centered society.
These books, each from a different perspective, address the Iranian society’s need for a fundamental rethinking of the concepts of development, ethics, and identity.
