ambition

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James Tissot's oil painting A Woman of Ambition (1883–85) shows a young woman whose interest in having a say in politics aroused men's hearts in the late 19th century.

Under ambition (also: Ambition ) refers to the the character rooted aspiration of people for personal goals, such as power , success , recognition , influence , leadership , knowledge or power . In contrast to “ engagement ”, ambition is more for your own benefit than for altruistic goals. In contrast to the pursuit of possession , however, ambition is not or at most indirectly directed towards material advantages.

Ambition is the subject of moral-philosophical , psychological , educational and political science considerations.

History of words and ideas

etymology

The word “ambition” comes from ahd. Êre ( honor ) and gite (greed). In Middle High German , the form erengitec is proven.

The reprehensible ambition, which from the 18th century onwards was also called “wrong”, has been contrasted with the term “healthy ambition” since the 19th century, although the difference between the two is rarely discussed. Occasionally it has been explained that “healthy” or “real” ambition is directed towards achievable goals, while the “false” ambition is based on overestimating oneself. A striving for recognition that one does not deserve is also considered to be a “false” ambition. Still other authors emphasize that with “healthy” ambition, the interest in the cause is greater than the desire for recognition.

Greek antiquity

In the Nicomachean Ethics , Aristotle also dealt with ambition ( Greek φιλοτιμία; philotimia ) and counted it among the psychological pleasures . He explained more precisely that, as with all mental attitudes, there is too much and too little when it comes to ambition. But one could neither clearly judge him as a virtue nor as a vice : On the one hand, the ambitious is considered manly and enthusiastic about the good, while the non-ambitious is considered moderate and prudent. On the other hand, the ambitious is rebuked if he tries to gain honor in excess or in an unacceptable manner; he was also prone to flattery. The non-ambitious is reprimanded because he “does not even seek the honor that grows out of the morally beautiful” . Praise and blame would be given with regard to too much and too little; for for the right measure between the extremes - for Aristotle virtue - the language lacks the appropriate word here.

Christianity

In Christian ethics , which were focused solely on faith and following Christ , ambition was finally assigned to vices. The Gospel says: "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled by God, but whoever despises himself will be exalted by God" ( Matthew 23:12). Paul in particular warns again and again of ambition in his letters and urges humility and modesty . Augustine is quoted by Luther with the following sentence: “Ambition is a mother of all heresies .” Luther has dealt in detail with ambition and, although it is universally widespread, considers it to be the greatest sin of all, a “subtle poison” and a “ Epidemic ". For if man is looking for his own honor, firstly, as the Gospel teaches, he does not serve his neighbor; Luther therefore considers ambition to be the central cause of all misfortune and unrest on earth. Second, worse, the venerable man robs the glory of God.

Machiavelli

The Italian state philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) dealt with ambition in his poem Dell'ambizione , among other things . Applied to the fate of Italy, which was suffering under French domination, he developed a political psychology of ambition and greed, which he considers to be basic human passions. Because they are directed directly against the welfare of the other person, he regards them as the fateful cause of all human misfortune. It is true that it is impossible to get rid of ambition entirely; in a state in which a strong king and good laws guarantee order, and in which "a bold heart is united with ambition and brave weapons" , it will at least be possible to keep the destruction away from the inside and to the outside, i. H. against an opponent of war.

Kant

Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) writes about ambition :

“ Ambition is the weakness of people, because of which one can influence them through their opinion [...]. [...] It is not a love of honor , an appreciation that people can expect from others because of their inner (moral) value, but striving for a reputation for honor where appearances are enough. "

- Immanuel Kant : Anthropology in a pragmatic way

For Kant, man is a being who constantly vacillates between society and unsociability. He needs other people to develop his skills; however, he is also stubborn ; H. to offer resistance to fellow human beings: a tendency from which the triad of ambition, lust for power and greed arises.

Scheler

The philosopher Max Scheler (1874–1928) described the “nerd” as the dominant social type of modern competitive society in the context of his resentment theory. In contrast to the "resentment type", which is depressed by powerlessness and weakness, the nerd behaves actively and trusts in his own actions. He is driven by an envy that has hardened into resentment and a rivalry that has become habitus . The "thing" that he seems to be trying to do is basically indifferent to him, in the end he is only concerned with being more and more valid.

Psychological and educational perspective

In psychology and education, the term “ambition” corresponds to the term “ motivation ”.

In educational concepts whose goal is a pronounced performance orientation, in addition to intrinsic motivation and skills, e.g. B. in the academic, artistic or sporting field expediently also teaches skills such as self-efficacy expectation , perseverance and diligence . Concepts, on the other hand, in which a competitive and competitive thinking is promoted beyond motivation are now considered problematic because such educational goals are in irresolvable conflict with skills such as team spirit and empathy , which in modern societies are far more powerful predictors of professional success and personal happiness are a lone fighter and sheer achievement.

Political science perspective

In 1966, the political scientist Joseph A. Schlesinger distinguished between three types of political ambition:

  • By progressive ambition , he understood the striving of a politician for a higher office than he currently holds.
  • He described a politician's endeavor to hold an office he currently holds as long as possible as static ambition .
  • Discrete Ambition ( discrete is English. "Single" for "standing alone for Himself") is the pursuit of a politician, a specific political goal or office to gain even without wanting to necessarily take it permanently or repeatedly.

Ambition as a topic in literature and film

Ambition is a central theme in many literary works. Examples:

The subject is also the focus of many feature films. Examples:

literature

  • Josef Reichholf: Why we want to win. Athletic ambition as a driving force in human evolution . Fischer Taschenbuch, Frankfurt 2009, ISBN 3-596-18366-9 .

Web links

Wiktionary: Ambition  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Wikiquote: Ambition  - Quotes
Commons : Ambition  - collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Duden Etymology . (Duden 7). Mannheim 1963, p. 206 .
  2. ↑ Example: The present . An encyclopedic representation of the latest contemporary history for all stands. Fourth volume. FA Brockhaus, Leipzig 1850, p. 10 . ( limited online version in Google Book Search - USA )
  3. ↑ Rüdiger Jungbluth: Good enough - Of real and false ambition ( Memento from September 18, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  4. ↑ Dangers of Yoga: Overestimation of oneself and false ambition ( memento from July 18, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Stern, March 10, 2010
  5. ↑ Exuberance is rarely good for you Sächsische Zeitung , September 22, 2005.
  6. ^ Hermann Preßler: Wrong and healthy ambition
  7. ↑ Promote healthy ambition in your child
  8. ↑ Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics , 1117 b 28 f.
  9. ↑ Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 1125 b
  10. ↑ E.g. Galatians 5:20 and 5:26; Philippians 2: 3; Titus 1.7
  11. ↑ a b F. W. Lomler, GF Lucius, DJ Rust, L. Sackreuter, D. Ernst Zimmermann (eds.): Spirit from Luther's writings or Concordance of the views and judgments of the great reformer . First volume A to F. Karl Wilhelm Leske, Darmstadt 1828, p. 714 . ( full online version in Google Book Search - USA )
  12. ^ Niccolò Machiavelli: The ambition . In: Johann Ziegler (Ed.): Niccolò Machiavelli: Complete Works, Volume 7 . Comedy and other poetic writings by Niccolo Machiavelli. Christian Theodor Groos, Karlsruhe 1838, p. 235-239 . ( limited online version in Google Book Search - USA )
  13. ↑ Immanuel Kant's works. Complete edition in ten volumes. Tenth volume . Immanuel Kant's writings on anthropology and pedagogy. Modes and Baumann, Leipzig 1829, p. 301 f . ( limited online version in Google Book Search - USA )
  14. ↑ Gunter Scholtz: Kant and the more recent criticism of the philosophy of history . In: Kirsten Schmidt, Klaus Steigleder, Burkhard Mojsisch (eds.): The topicality of the philosophy of Kant . Bochum lecture series summer semester 2004. BR Grüner Publishing Company, 2005, ISBN 90-6032-373-4 , p. 184 ff . ( limited online version in Google Book Search - USA )
  15. ↑ Max Scheler: The Resentment in Building Morals . 2nd Edition. Vittorio Klostermann, Frankfurt / M. 2004, ISBN 3-465-03335-3 , pp. 13 f . ( limited online version in Google Book Search - USA )
  16. ^ Daniel Goleman : EQ . Emotional intelligence . dtv, 1997, ISBN 3-423-36020-8 .
  17. ↑ Joseph A. Schlesinger ( Memento of the original from March 12, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ( Michigan State University )  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / polisci.msu.edu
  18. ^ Joseph A. Schlesinger: Ambition and Politics . Political Careers in the United States. Rand McNally, 1966.