The Idea of Perfect Man

Abstract

Different religions have one belief in common in that man is not self-existent. It means that his life is basically dependent on an independent central power. This concept was suggested by early religions in the form of the belief that nature has powers, but more advanced religions have a belief in a metaphysical being, who is the creator of the world. Besides human desire for perfection is a common subject that connects different religions to each other although there exist various interpretations about perfection and perfect man. The basis of the western new thought is humanism, in which human is a self-centered one and is not dependent on any greater force; however, in the eastern thought, man and the world are under God’s centrality, moving toward a spiritual goal and a superior world. This article aims at the position of the perfect man, as a creature on the earth, in the worlds of Darwinism, Marxism, Nietzcheism, Freudism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Mazdaism, Manichaeis, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It is concluded that among all eastern religions, Islam is the only multi-dimensional one and considers both materialistic and spiritual dimensions of man.