The Tenfold Virtue of the King : An Analytical Study

Abstract

This research was a philosophical study which aimed to analyze the tenfold virtue of the king in order to answer whether the tenfold virtue can be interpreted as an ethical principle of the moderate postmodernism. 

The findings of the research found that there are people who argued that the tenfold virtue cannot be interpreted as an ethical principle of the moderate postmodernism because the tenfold virtue is often viewed as being divided into separate unrelated principles and each of these principles serve as the indicators of good behavior of the kings. The research proposes a different argument by pointing out that the opponent’s view which treats the tenfold virtue as consisting of different principles or Dhamma is not right. In fact, the tenfold virtue cannot be viewed as consisting of different unrelated principles. In the point of view of the researcher, the reason that the tenfold virtue is often seen as being divided into different principles is to analyze the details of each principle of the virtue, not to separate it into different principle. Therefore, the researcher argues that the tenfold virtue can be interpreted as ethical principles in the moderate postmodernism because each of the ten principles or Dhamma of the tenfold virtue is connected to each other therefore they can be seen as one principle. This means that whenever these ten principles are well balanced and combined in the behavior of a person, that person is known as having the tenfold virtue. Viewing ethics as being holistic, not being separated, is the way used to interpret the ten virtue as an ethical principle according to the moderate postmodernism.