Imam Khomeini's  political  thought  and  the  "constitutive theory of individuality"

                                         Dr. Mariam Vafaie*
 

  First of all, a review of the philosophical and cultural antecedents for   the separation of politics and religion are discussed which is assumed to be   the primary cause for the present dearth of normative theory in  international relations. Present trends are also mentioned, for instance, one  trend is the emphasis on the critical approach to the understanding of  human relations with its underlying implication that relations among  nations necessarily involve discourse about fundamental values which in  turn has fostered a proliferation of ethical and moral considerations in  international and intercultural relations. Another new trend concerns  Alexis de Tocqueville's analysis of democratic experience in which the role   of religion is seen as fundamental to the continued survival of democracy   because it provides the foundation for a common belief in a transcendent   order. Without such unifying beliefs and institutions, individualism and   materialism are suggested to lead to majority dominance and democratic   despotism.  Secondly, Islamic ethical dialectic and in particular the political philosophy of Imam Khomeini are briefly outlined and described. These   include: The dominant clement of religious teachings, the relation between   the individual and society, the duties of religious leaders, the   sociological-political orientation of Islam, the nature of legitimacy of a government, the nature of Islamic laws, the Islamic Government and the   absolute supremacy of jurisprudence, the range of its authority, the   requirements for Jurisprudence and its interrelations with the law, among   topics to be included in this discussion...

 Finally, recent theoretical developments in political science and specially   in international relations are considered as providing a background upon   which the core ethical assumptions of Islamic doctrine and the established   relationship between religion and government can be evaluated. One of  such developments, although    originally elaborated through Charvet's works and Hegel's analysis of  the nature of citizenship, concerns the "constitutive theory of individuality"  which provides a philosophical and scientific framework within which  Islamic ethical dialectic and political philosophy can be better understood.  A case is built in support of the relevance of ethical and evaluative   dimensions in government and politics.  

*- Department of Psychology Tarbiat Modarres University.