Anideal is aprinciple orvalue that one actively pursues as agoal, usually in the context ofethics, and one's prioritization of ideals can serve to indicate the extent of one's dedication to each. The belief in ideals is called ethical idealism, and thehistory of ethical idealism includes a variety of philosophers.[1]
In some theories ofapplied ethics, such as that ofRushworth Kidder, there is importance given to such orders[clarification needed] as a way toresolve disputes.[citation needed] Inlaw, for instance, ajudge is sometimes called on to resolve the balance between the ideal oftruth, which would advise hearing out all evidence, and the ideal of fairness. Given the complexity of putting ideals into practice, and resolving conflicts between them, it is not uncommon to see them reduced todogma. One way to avoid this, according toBernard Crick, is to have ideals that themselves are descriptive of a process, rather than an outcome.[citation needed] Hispolitical virtues try to raise the practical habits useful in resolving disputes into ideals of their own. Avirtue, in general, is an ideal that one can make ahabit.
In hisLaw of Peoples, philosopherJohn Rawls describes an "ideal" conception of theforeign relations obligations of states as one based onJean-Jacques Rousseau's conception of a social contract, taking "men as they are and laws as they might be" as his starting point. The ideal conception establishes laws which people will follow. The "nonideal" concept adapts the ideal to the fact that people do not always follow the laws.[2]
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