What does the word "moralist" mean? Is this a good person or an evil one? What does he preach and what is he fighting for? You will learn about all this from the article.
Meaning of the word
It is logical to assume that the word "moralist" comes from the word "morality." Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language edited by Efremova T.F. defines this word as certain norms and principles of behavior by which people are guided in relation to other people in particular or to society as a whole. The synonyms of this word are morality, ethics, well-being, virtue. Therefore, a moralist is a champion of morality, one who professes ethical standards of behavior, principles of morality and decency in relation to others.
The definition given above seems to give an unambiguous answer to the question of who the moralist is, and leaves no doubt that this person deserves respect. But let's understand further.
Shades and subtle
A true moralist is one who professes principles of behavior in which he himself sacredly believes and which he abides always and everywhere. Often such people are compared with philosophers, implying that moralists comprehend the life orientations and motives of actions, highlighting among the values only those that are comparable with conscientiousness, honor, and mercy. These preachers of morality draw a clear line between good and evil, white and black, they do not have half-tones and "lies in the name of good."
However, a moralist is not always a positive credo. Very often there are people who like to teach others, tell how to live in justice and do good in the name of good. In fact, they are cruel, proud, selfish, take pleasure in the process of moralizing, not caring how much their words correspond to the truth. Such hunters are also ironically called “moralists, ” emphasizing their insincerity and ostentatious pomp. In this case, the appropriate synonyms for this word are "hypocrite" and "bore."
“All your speeches are dust in the eyes, only sound, even loud, but random …” is a good epithet for false moralists.
Now you can tell, a moralist - who it is.
