Philosophy of Religion.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ayatollahy, Hamidreza.

Series:

World Philosophy Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Philosophy and religion.

Islamic philosophy.

Religion--Philosophy.

Religion.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (359 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2024.

Summary:

"Many books and articles that have been published in the philosophy of religion are written in a dominant Western Christian tradition, restricting philosophical discourse to that specific framework. The sphere of Islamic thought and its philosophical contributions can introduce numerous new and diverse opportunities in the philosophy of religion, offering Western readers fresh perspectives. This book aims to present different intellectual viewpoints grounded in an Islamic context, thereby proposing alternative solutions to challenges in the philosophy of religion. It appears that this book will introduce new ideas and approaches to Western scholars and their students, fostering further discussions. Moreover, philosophical inquiries into religion have become increasingly prevalent in the academic communities of Islamic countries, prompting numerous scholars to engage with this field and its publications. However, many of these scholars prefer to explore the subject from an Islamic perspective, ensuring that the content aligns with the foundations of Islamic thought. Consequently, this book not only meets this need by examining the philosophy of religion through an Islamic lens, but it also sets the stage for other Muslim philosophers to contribute their insights to this field"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Preface

About the Author

Chapter 1

Introduction

1. A Brief History

2. Which Religious Propositions Are Taken as Fundamental?

3. Key Distinctions in Islamic and Christian Approaches to the Philosophy of Religion

3.1. God and His Attributes

3.2. The Essence of Islam and Christianity

3.3. The Nature of Revelation

3.4. Sources of Religious Teachings

3.5. Social and Political Dimensions

3.6. The Role of Religious Authorities

4. Conclusion

5. Which Islamic Perspective?

6. Contemporary Trends in Islamic Philosophy

6.1. Rejection of Philosophy and Rationality

6.2. The Ghazzalian Approach

6.3. Sufism and Mysticism

6.4. Reinterpretation of Islamic Philosophical Heritage

6.5. Contemporary Westernized Approaches

6.6. Ideological Thinkers' Attitudes

6.7. Perennial Philosophy

6.8. Sadraian Transcendent Philosophy

7. Transcendent Philosophy or Wisdom (Hekmat)

8. Mulla Sadra and Transcendent Wisdom

9. The Enduring Legacy of Sadraian Wisdom

References

Chapter 2

Arguments for the Existence of God: General Considerations

1. A Brief View

2. Arguments Against the Existence of God and Arguments Against Believing in Him

3. Arguments for the Existence of God

4. Argument or True Knowledge?

Chapter 3

Ontological Arguments

1. The History of Ups and Downs of the Ontological Argument

2. Evaluation of the Ontological Argument by Neo-Sadraeian Islamic Philosophers

3. Ontological Argument or Necessity Argument?

4. Variations of the Ontological Argument

4.1. Anselm

4.2. Descartes and the Ontological Argument

5. Critiques of the Ontological Argument

5.1. Existence Is Not Perfection in the Same Way Other Properties Are

5.2. The Negation of Necessary Existence Along with Its Existence Does Not Imply a Contradiction.

5.2.1. Islamic Philosophers and Kant's Objection

5.3. Necessity Is a Logical Qualifier, Not Ontological: It Is Not Possible to Speak of an Existing Being with Existential Necessity

6. Necessity

6.1. Neo-Sadraeians and the Analysis of "Necessity

6.2. The Predicate Extracted from the Depth of the Subject and the Predicate by Way of Adherence

6.3. The Validity or Invalidity of the Ontological Argument

6.4. Primary Essential Predication and Common Technical Predication

Chapter 4

The Necessity and Contingency Argument (NCA)

1. A Brief Explanation

2. The First Part of the Argument: The Major Premise of Syllogism

3. The Second Part of the Argument: The Minor Premise of Syllogism

3.1. Conclusion

4. The Fate of the NCA in the History of Western Philosophy of Religion

5. Evaluation of Kant's Criticisms Against the NCA

5.1. The First Objection: Explanation of the Causality in the Non-Phenomenal Realm

5.2. The Second Objection: The Assumption of an Infinite Regress of Causes Is Not Impossible and Does Not Create a Contradiction

6. Other Philosophical Refinements in the Necessity and Contingency Argument (NCA)

Chapter 5

Cosmological Arguments and the Neo-Sadraeian Analysis

1. Introduction

2. Examining the Cosmological Argument in Its Historical Evolution

3. Evaluation of Aquinas' Arguments

4. Kant and Hume's Criticisms of the Cosmological Argument

5. Leibniz's Cosmological Argument

5.1. Characteristics of Leibniz's Argument

5.2. Evaluation of Leibnitz's Argument

6. The Inability of Material World Relations to Explain God

7. Cosmological Argument in the Form of the Kalam Cosmological Argument

8. Differences Between Western Cosmological Arguments and the Necessity Contingency Argument (NCA) in Islamic Philosophy

Chapter 6

The Seddiqin Argument.

1. Philosophical Foundations of the Seddiqin Argument

1.1. The Notion and Reality of Existence

1.2. Existence and Quiddity

1.3. Analogical Gradation of Existence

1.4. FRE and Intellectual Analysis of the Pure Notion of Causality

2. Explanation of the Seddiqin Argument

3. Development of Seddiqin Argument

3.1. Sabzevari's Seddiqin Argument

3.2. Seddiqin Argument in Tabatabaei's Viewpoint

4. Seddiqin: Name Origin

5. Differences Between the Ontological Argument and Seddiqin Argument

Chapter 7

Teleological (Design) Arguments

1. Analogical Form of Teleological Arguments in the First Era

2. Chances and Accidents as Alternatives to the Intelligent Designer

3. Rational Analysis of the Teleological Argument

3.1. Meaning of Design

3.2. Examining the Major Premise

3.2.1. Rejection of the Arguments Based on Possibilities

3.2.2. Divine Activity in the Evolution of the World

3.2.3. Evolution and Divine Agency

3.2.4. Revival of Teleological Argument in Form of Fine-Tuning Argument

3.3. Proof of the Minor Premise

4. Limitations of the Teleological Argument

Chapter 8

Faith and Reason: The Western Christian Approach and Islamic View

2. Religion, Faith, and Spirituality

3. Fideism

3.1. Blaise Pascal

3.2. William James

3.3. Kierkegaard

3.4. Wittgenstein

4. Rationalism

4.1. Strong Rationalism

4.2. Critical Rationalism

4.3. Moderate Rationalism

5. An Islamic Perspective on Reason and Faith

6. Intellect, Religious Beliefs, and Teachings

Chapter 9

Epistemology of Religion and the Justification of Belief in God

2. Externalism and Internalism in Epistemology

3. Epistemology of Religion

4. Externalism and Epistemology of Religion.

5. Justifiability of the Religious Knowledge of Ordinary People

6. Epistemology Based on Trusted Hearings

7. The Epistemic Advantage of Self-Testimony

8. Justification of Religious Knowledge through Trusted Hearings

9. Various Claims of Religions Based on Hearings

10. Different Methods for Knowing God

10.1. Knowing God by Way of Basic Empirical Beliefs

10.2. Knowing God by Way of the Intellect

10.3. Knowing God by Way of Intuition

10.4. Knowing God by Way of His Own Explanations

11. The Best Way to Know God: The Trusted Hearings Method

12. Triangulation and Religious Knowledge

Chapter 10

Attributes of God

2. Classification of the Attributes of God in Islamic Philosophy

2.1. Attributes of Essence

2.1.1. Oneness

2.1.2. Knowledge

2.1.3. Power

2.1.4. Life

2.2. Attributes of Action

2.2.1. Different Kinds

2.2.2. Other Attributes of Action

2.2.3. Divine Justice

2.2.3.1. Different Islamic Schools in Explaining God's Justice

2.2.3.2. Divine Justice in the View of Shiite Thinkers

2.2.3.3. Divine Justice and Deficiencies

2.2.4. Beneficence and Mercifulness (Rahman and Rahim)

2.2.5. Lordship of God

3. Comparing God's Attributes in Islamic and Western Philosophies of Religion

3.1. Omnipotence

3.1.1. Conceptual Problems with Omnipotence

3.1.2. God's Power and Human Deficiencies

3.1.3. Other Misconceptions of God's Omnipotence

3.1.4. God's Power and Evil Deeds

3.1.5. Omnipotence and Autocracy

3.2. Omniscience

3.2.1. Divine Knowledge and the Future

3.2.2. Divine Knowledge and Change in the Course of Events

3.2.3. Divine Foreknowledge and Human Free Will

3.2.4. Various Perspectives on Divine Knowledge in Western Philosophy of Religion

3.2.4.1. Deism

3.2.4.2. Classical Theism

3.2.4.3. Process Theology.

3.2.4.4. Open Theism

3.2.4.5. Opponents and Critics of Open Theism

3.2.5. The Position of Islamic Philosophers on the Issues of Divine Knowledge

3.2.5.1. God's Knowledge of the Future

3.2.5.2. Knowledge of the Future

3.2.5.3. God's Knowledge of Detailed Issues and Changing Events

3.2.5.4. Sadraeian Views on the Divine Foreknowledge and Human Free Will

Chapter 11

Religious Language (Language of Religion)

1.1. What Is the Problem?

1.2. Questions of the Meaning of "God" in the Language of Religion

1.3. The Meaning of God's Attributes

1.4. The Meaning of God's Agency in the World

1.5. Evaluation of Other Theories

2. The Challenge of Meaninglessness

2.1. Verifiability

2.2. Falsifiability

2.3. Meaninglessness Problem of Statements About God

2.4. Antony Flew and the Presentation of Doubt in the Meaningfulness of Religious Statements

2.5. R.M. Hare and the Noncognitive Solution of Blik

2.6. The Parable of Basil Mitchell's "Stranger and Partisan" and Confrontational Certainty

2.7. John Hick and Eschatological Verification

2.8. Ian Crombie and the Characteristic Elusiveness of God-Talk

3. A Philosophical-Islamic Approach to the Problem of Meaningfulness of Religious Statements

4. Analysis of Meanings of Divine Attributes

4.1. Non-Cognitive Theories

4.2. The Theory of Language Games

4.3. The Theory of Silence

4.3.1. Evaluation of the View of Silence in Plotinus

4.4. The Theory of Total Equivocal Language and Closure (Ta'til)

4.5. The Theory of Tashbīh (Resemblance) and Anthropomorphism

4.6. Negative Language About God

4.6.1. Negative Language About God among Muslim Theologians

4.7. The Theory of Analogy

4.8. The Mystical Theory of Different Languages for Different Levels of God's Essence and Attributes.

4.9. Univocal Meaning and Existential Gradation.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9798895302750

OCLC:

1481801138