⬜️⬛️
God made me this way: same-sex attraction through the lens of evolutionary creation in Christian theology
By Jack A. C. Key, Independent Scholar
In an examination of same-sex attraction through the lens of evolutionary creation and Aquinas’ secondary causality, this paper seeks to challenge the understanding of many Christians today that this trait is a negative result of ‘the fall’. By presenting a new approach called the Evolutionary Evaluation Model, a set of five questions guide this process of fairly evaluating traits in humans today which seem to contradict God’s design for humanity. Using this model to evaluate existing peer-reviewed scientific evidence alongside theological considerations, same-sex attraction appears to have been intentionally designed by God. Within a minority of humans, this trait produces the ability to build social bridges and ensures the survival of their families. Whilst same-sex attraction is not a result of ‘the fall’, such individuals need God’s support to overcome barriers that neutralize the benefits of the trait.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3366/jqs.2024.0584
—————————————————————
Tags: #God #Christianity #Evolution #Gender
⬜️⬛️
Engaging Jeffrey Koperski’s decretalism: is occasionalism really avoidable?
By Nazif Muhtaroglu, Yale University and
Shoaib Ahmed Malik, University of Edinburgh
This article critically evaluates Jeffrey Koperski’s decretalism, which presents the laws of nature as divine decrees functioning as constraints rather than dynamic forces. Building on his work, we explore whether his model successfully avoids the implications of occasionalism, as he claims. By analysing his latest publications, we first reconstruct Koperski’s argument and then present three key objections. These include (1) issues related to scientific realism, (2) the principle of simplicity, and (3) the reduction of Koperski’s model to occasionalism. We argue that despite his attempts to distinguish his framework, Koperski’s model ultimately collapses into occasionalism due to the continuous divine sustenance required for natural processes. By engaging with recent developments in metaphysical and scientific debates, this article highlights the limitations of Koperski’s decretalism.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3366/jqs.2024.0584
—————————————————————
Tags: #Causality #Kalam #Occasionalism
⬜️⬛️
On Tang Junyi’s Critique of Anselm’s Argument for the Existence of God
By Yumin Dai, Nanjing University
Anselm’s argument for the existence of God posits that the concept of God inherently implies its existence. Tang Junyi critiques this argument from two fundamental angles. Firstly, he argues that the contingency of human thought places an unwarranted burden of proof on the existence of God, introducing an inherent contradiction within the argument’s premise. Secondly, he contends that Anselm’s argument fails to deduce the existence of God from empirical things. Tang’s empirical approach to critiquing the argument bears a superficial resemblance to St. Thomas Aquinas’s cosmological argument for God’s existence, yet a profound difference exists between the two, precluding their equivalence. Delving deeper, Tang’s critique is rooted in the Confucian philosophy. Nevertheless, Tang’s critique, while insightful, does not fully dismantle Anselm’s argument, underscoring the intrinsic differences and tensions between Chinese and Western perspectives on religion and philosophy.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15111374
—————————————————————
Tags: #God #Anselm #Religion
⬜️⬛️
Genre and Genesis: Locating Covenants in the Qurʾān and the Bible
By Karim Samji, Gettysburg College
The present article considers the intersection between genre and covenant in scripture in order to locate historical covenants and to trace their complex textual boundaries. Standing on the shoulders of Smith, Wellhausen, and Gunkel, the joint legacy left behind by Martin and Albrecht Noth is equally significant for both Biblical and Islamic studies. Nothian scholarship laid solid foundations for reconstructing the history of tribal traditions. Both of them together created a common frame of reference for studying primary and secondary themes (Themen), literary and documentary forms (Formen), introductory and concluding formulas (Formeln), and theological and political perspectives (Tendenzen), in addition to geographical, transitional, and framing devices (Schemata). In spite of this shared scholarly heritage, it appears that both Biblical and Qurʾānic studies have either been talking at cross-purposes or have reached a critical crossroads, as has happened in the case of covenant. All things considered, genre and tradition criticism allow us to move forward beyond the Methodenstreit in covenant studies.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15111380
—————————————————————
Tags: #Quran #Bible #Islam #History
⬜️⬛️
Al-Fārābī’s Poetics Reconsidered
By Syed Maisam Haider Ali Rizvi, University of California
The primary goal of this paper is to read al-Fārābī’s Kitāb al-shiʿr [Book of poetry] between the lines. Though it touches upon his other treatises on poetry and poetics, i.e., Risāla fī qawānīn ṣināʿat al-shuʿarāʾ [Essay on the rules of the art of the poets] and Qawl al-Fārābī fī al-tanāsub wa-l-taʾlīf [al-Fārābī’s saying on harmony and composition), it does so only in passing. Emphasizing the primacy of mimesis (muḥākat) in al-Fārābī’s discussion of poetics, this paper demonstrates how poeticity (shiʿriyya), according to al-Fārābī, goes beyond being a mere “textual” or “oral” quality to even encompass various human actions and activities. In doing so, it also underscores how al-Fārābī’s definition(s) of mimesis is not reducible to comparison, simile, metaphoror even the extended metaphor.
Link: https://doi.org/10.5840/islamicphil202415210
—————————————————————
Tags: #AlFarabi #Philosophy #Arabic
⬜️⬛️
Substances (jawāhir), Accidents (aʿrāḍ), and Rental Agreements
The Relation between Atomism in Islamic Theology (kalām) and Islamic Law (fiqh)
By Serdar Kurnaz, Humboldt-Universität
Link: https://doi.org/10.5840/islamicphil202415213
—————————————————————
Tags: #Islam #Theology #Kalam #IslamicLaw
⬜️⬛️
Ṭabāṭabāʾī on Mental Constructions
By Maryam Olamaiekopaie, University of South Bohemia
Link: https://doi.org/10.5840/islamicphil202415212
—————————————————————
Tags: #Islam #Theology #Metaphysics
⬜️⬛️
Muṣṭafā Ṣabrī on Waḥdat al-Wuǧūd and its Philosophical Origins
By Muhammad Sami, Pembroke College
This article studies the critique of waḥdat al-wuǧūd penned by Muṣṭafā Ṣabrī (d. 1954), one of the last Ottoman şeyhülislams. Ṣabrī’s critique echoes those written by previous theologians such as al-Taftāzānī while simultaneously criticising their shortcomings. In Ṣabrī’s view, waḥdat al-wuǧūd originates in what he calls “the divinization of existence”: the identification of God’s essence with his existence, a doctrine held by Muslim peripatetics and adopted by several philosophical theologians. It is just because they failed to locate such an origin that Ṣabrī believes previous critiques of the Akbarian doctrine were not adequate.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1093/jis/etae049
—————————————————————
Tags: #Islam #Sufism #Theology #Kalam #IbnArabi
⬜️⬛️
The Revival of Teleology, After Its Death By Darwin
By Nima Narimani, University, Tehran
Two distinct teleological perspectives emerge from the ancient Greek tradition. (1) Platonic teleology, which represents teleology as the result of intentional agency and is the origin of the idea of design; and (2) Aristotelian teleology, which introduces teleology as the result of natural and intrinsic causes. The preceding framework for understanding nature was superseded by the advent of the modern era and the establishment of the scientific method. Nevertheless, despite the prevailing skepticism regarding the possibility and utility of teleology in the modern era, it is asserted that several prominent scientists of the modern era are staunch defenders of teleology (design). However, with Darwin's proposal of the theory of evolution, the path to the destruction of teleology was initiated. This article examines the interconnection between Darwin's theory of evolution (then neo-Darwinism) and teleology, focusing on how this theory effectively undermines the teleological perspective. However, it seems that recent findings in the field of biology challenge this dominant view and open the way for the revival of teleology.
Link: https://doi.org/10.22091/JPTR.2024.11464.3151
—————————————————————
Tags: #Evolution #Teleology #Design #Darwin
⬜️⬛️
Systems of Global Meaning in Atheists and Theists: Divergent World Beliefs, Sources of Meaning, and Values
By Crystal L. Park et al, University of Connecticut;
To illuminate the often-reported higher levels of meaning in life by those who believe in God relative to atheists, we examined the extent to which their global meaning (i.e., the beliefs, goals, and values that underlie subjective sense of meaning in life) differed. Study 1 (undergraduate sample of 100 atheists and 447 theists) found that theists endorsed higher levels of beliefs reflecting a more meaningful world (e.g., goodness, control, justice) while atheists endorsed higher beliefs in randomness. Further, atheists found less meaning from almost every source examined (e.g., achievement, self-acceptance). Results of Study 2 (87 atheists and 164 theists in a national U.S. online sample) produced similar results and also found theists more strongly endorsed many values that can facilitate a sense of meaning (e.g., traditionalism, security). Collectively, these results identify multiple divergences in global meaning between atheists and theists that may account for atheists’ lower meaning in life.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12947
—————————————————————
Tags: #Atheism #Religion #Theism #God #Sociology
⬜️⬛️
Why There Must Be Something Rather Than Nothing: A New Argument from the PSR
By Dylan Shaul, University of California
This article offers a new argument that there must be something rather than nothing, grounded in the PSR. Inspired by the rationalist tradition running from Parmenides to Spinoza and Leibniz, I argue that there must be something rather than nothing because the contrary would constitute a violation of the PSR. In particular, I argue that, if there was nothing, there could be no sufficient reason for it, since nothing at all would exist to serve as a sufficient reason. Therefore, given the PSR, something must exist after all. After presenting and explaining this new argument, I consider a series of objections and replies, and develop some of its broader philosophical implications.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/ejop.13018
—————————————————————
Tags: #PSR #Leibniz #Spinoza
⬜️⬛️
A Phenomenological Assessment of Mulla Sadra’s View of the Individual Mind
By Tayyebe Gholami, University of Qom; Andrea Altobrando, University of Padua
This article examines the theory of mind proposed by the esteemed Islamic philosopher, Mulla Sadra, through a phenomenological lens. We specifically focus on how Mulla Sadra’s framework addresses the question of the individual human mind and its intricate relationship with the body. While Mulla Sadra presents concepts that resonate with some of Husserl’s ‘monadological-phenomenological’ reflections, we argue that strict adherence to phenomenological methodology precludes acceptance of the metaphysical implications he draws concerning the individual mind’s connection to the totality of existence, including a presumed divine reality. Nonetheless, our comparative analysis with Mulla Sadra’s thought illuminates key aspects of Husserlian monadology and highlights the limitations of a rigorously phenomenological approach to purely metaphysical inquiries.
Link: https://doi.org/10.22091/JPTR.2024.11350.3128
—————————————————————
Tags: #MullaSadra #Islam #Phenomenology
⬜️⬛️
Dialogue Between Theology and Science: Present Challenges and Future Perspectives
By Giuseppe Tanzella-Nitti, Pontifical University
In order to consider the natural sciences as a contemporary locus theologicus, I here examine the meaning and implications of the “dialogue between theology and the sciences”. Although widely used, this expression has different meanings. I try to clarify who the interlocutors of the dialogue are, where the dialogue takes place, and what the goals of the dialogue itself are. A coherent agenda to encourage the use of the sciences in theological work should include (a) the design and implementation of interdisciplinary curricula to help those scholars who are seriously interested to be trained in this field; (b) an emphasis on the role of philosophy and philosophical sources in the study of the sciences and theology; (c) going beyond the epistemological level and developing the dialogue also at the anthropological level; (d) the identification of a number of key issues for theological and religious studies that are expected to become more urgent in the coming years. Finally, the use of the sciences as a locus theologicus is expected to bear two main fruits: first, to offer a positive, speculative insight to the work of theologians and, second, to contribute to a responsible development of the dogmatic teachings of the Church.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101253
—————————————————————
Tags: #Theology #Religion #Science
⬜️⬛️
THE APODOTIC WĀW IN QURʾĀNIC ARABIC
By Tareq Moqbel, University of Oxford
This article discusses the usage and semantic function of the apodotic wāw in Qurʾānic Arabic. It takes as its starting point the usage of the same particle in the Hebrew Bible, and goes on to survey the discourse about it in the classical treatises of Arabic grammar. It then analyses a number of Qurʾānic passages where the exegetical literature discussed whether a wāw is (or could be) marking an apodosis. By demonstrating the interpretive options enabled by the apodotic wāw, the article argues—pace the classical Arabic grammarians and Qurʾān exegetes, many of whom denied its existence outright—that this particle is not simply superfluous. Rather, the article contends that the apodotic wāw creates a space for ambiguity, and thereby expands the range of hermeneutical possibilities. In presenting this argument, the article suggests that the function of the apodotic wāw in the Qurʾān closely resembles its function in the Hebrew Bible.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101253
—————————————————————
Tags: #Islam #Quran #QuranicStudies #Bible
⬜️⬛️
The Ethics of Weeping in Islam
By Paul L Heck, Georgetown University
Literature on weeping in Islam and emotions in general, although on the rise, is still limited. This article, focusing on Islam’s heritage of lament for sin, seeks to contribute to the study of religiously informed emotions by highlighting the interests in heavenly purposefulness that depictions of weeping seek to convey. Such purposefulness, the data suggests, is not only penitential but also redemptive and bears ethical fruits for the community as a whole. Weeping in Islam is, then, not mere emotional expression; attention must therefore be paid to the spirit or ethical tone accompanying depictions of pious weeping, illustrated here by two works on weeping, one by Ibn Qudāma al-Maqdisī (d. 1223) and the other by Ibn Abī al-Dunyā (d. 894). The study of emotionality in Islam, as illustrated in this article with the example of weeping, can enrich our appreciation of religious subjectivity in Islam and its place in Islam’s overall heritage of ethics.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101253
—————————————————————
Tags: #Islam #Ethics #Shariah
⬜️⬛️
The Prophet Problem
By Reuven Firestone, University Ave
Because scripture represents the direct word of God, it is the most sacred source for authority in the scriptural monotheisms. Scripture is conveyed to humanity through extraordinary individuals known as prophets. But if the purported prophet is a false prophet, then the conveyed message is false, resulting in the collapse of the structure upon which religious authority rests. This problem was recognized in the Hebrew Bible, and accusations of flawed prophecy and deceitful prophets figure prominently in relations between the scriptural monotheisms. Jews do not accept the authenticity of Jesus’ role as messiah (and prophet) in the NT, and Jews and Christians do not accept the authenticity of Muhammad’s role as prophet in the Qur’an. But the rejection is unidirectional. As a rule, established religions cannot accept new prophets, while new religions accept the prophets that lived before, though with certain qualifications. Each of the three classic scriptural monotheisms also declares an “end” to prophecy after the canonization of its scripture. Yet despite these deadlines, each acknowledges that God could nevertheless send another prophet, leaving open the wild card for new prophecy, new revelation, and even new religion; within each of the classic scriptural monotheisms, individuals arose after the canonization of scripture who were deemed by many to be prophets or something “like” prophets. This essay presents a preliminary phenomenology of prophethood, around which much of the religious polemics between the scriptural monotheisms are constructed.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3366/jqs.2024.0584
—————————————————————
Tags: #Prophet #Islam #Christianity #Judaism
⬜️⬛️
The daʿwa Qur'an? Exploring the Evolution of ʿAbdullah Yūsuf ʿAlī’s Translation
By Charles Ramsey, Baylor University
The Holy Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary by ʿAbdullah Yūsuf ʿAlī (1872–1953) was prepared for daʿwa purposes, to spread the message and guidance of Islam in the English language. The subsequent editorial changes to this translation made in editions published decades later problematise the use of translation in propagating a particular interpretative framework and reflect developments in the practice of daʿwa and in interpretive methodologies during the second half of the twentieth century. This article argues that these interventions in Yusuf Ali's original translation were less to do with the English rendition of the text, and more to do with the paratext that structures the text and filters the experience of the reader.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3366/jqs.2024.0584
—————————————————————
Tags: #Quran #Islam #QuranicStudies
⬜️⬛️
Propositions with Negative Predicates in Arabic Logic
By Yusuf Daşdemir, University of Jyväskylä
This paper explores a neglected category of propositions in Arabic logic, propositions with negative predicates (sālibat al-maḥmūl), by addressing two pivotal questions concerning this propositional form: first, whether it is possible to defend it as distinct from metathetic and simple negative propositions and second, whether affirmative instances of these propositions have existential import. The paper argues for the existence of two distinct and conflicting theories of existential import frequently implicit in the views of Arabic logicians: one centered on the copula and the other on the predicate.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/01445340.2024.2410107
—————————————————————
Tags: #Arabic #Logic #Negation
⬜️⬛️
The Concept of Divine Revelation According to Ibn Sînâ and Al-Ghazālī: A Comparative Analysis
By İbrahim Halil Erdoğan
and Sema Eryücel, Akdeniz University
This article examines the conceptions of divine revelation held by two prominent figures in Islamic thought, Ibn Sīnā and Al-Ghazālī, through a comparative lens within the context of metaphysical and epistemological processes. Ibn Sīnā views divine revelation as a metaphysical process occurring at the highest level of intellect. According to him, divine revelation is an abstract reflection of divine knowledge transmitted to the prophet’s imaginative faculty through the Active Intellect. This process, explained within a philosophical framework, is grounded in the development of human intellectual capacity. In contrast, Ghazālī defines divine revelation as a mystical experience and considers it a divine encounter beyond the limits of human reason. For Ghazālī, divine revelation manifests as an expression of God’s attribute of speech and occurs solely by divine will. Moreover, this experience cannot be fully comprehended by reason. Ghazālī’s approach, imbued with Sufi depth, regards divine revelation as an integral part of spiritual growth. This article explores the fundamental similarities and differences between these two thinkers’ understandings of divine revelation and metaphysics. By analyzing how Ibn Sīnā’s reason-based approach intersects and diverges from Ghazālī’s intuition and inspiration-based Sufi approach, this study provides an in-depth examination of how the concept of divine revelation has been shaped within Islamic theology and philosophy, highlighting the contributions of both thinkers to the discourse on divine revelation.
Link: https://doi.org/10.5840/islamicphil202415210
—————————————————————
Tags: #IbnSina #Ghazali #Islam #God
⬜️⬛️
Al-Junayd’s Epistemic Definition of Monotheism (tawḥīd) and his Theory of Self-Consciousness
By Ahmed Abdel Meguid, American University of Cairo
The objective of this study is to present a new argument for understanding the philosophical roots of Abū al-Qāsim al-Junayd’s (d. 909/297) ambiguous definition of monotheism (tawḥīd). Al-Junayd defines tawḥīd in terms of separating the eternally existing (qadīm) from the temporally generated (muḥdath). This study argues that Plato’s distinction between “that which is and always is” and “that which comes to be and never is” in the Timaeus better clarifies neglected aspects of al-Junayds’s definition than the orthodox Neo-Platonic interpretation put forward by Ali Hassen Abdel Kader. Given the lacuna of historically decisive textual evidence in support of either interpretation, this study will demonstrate how the Platonic distinction, which was widely circulating in the theological and philosophical circles of the ninth and early tenth century Baghdad, better furnishes a more coherent interpretation of al-Junayd’s positions. The first part of the study suggests that al-Junayd’s definition of tawḥīd could best be described as a creatively epistemic appropriation and development of the Platonic essentially metaphysical distinction. Through a careful examination of his theory of self-consciousness, the second part of the study explains how al-Junayd developed his epistemic definition of tawḥīd in response to the charges of pantheism addressed to Sufisms. This examination will further support my claim that a Platonic, rather than a Neo-Platonic, framework better explains the philosophical foundation of al-Junayd’s conception and definition of monotheism. I conclude by indicating how this study’s results contribute to the larger scholarship on philosophy and formation of early Sufism.
Link: https://doi.org/10.5840/islamicphil20241529
—————————————————————
Tags: #Islam #Monotheism #Sufism #History
⬜️⬛️
Gadamer, Ibn Sīnā, and the Aesthetics of Self-Transformation
By Syeda Maryam Fatima Taqvi, University of California
By expanding on Hans-George Gadamer’s critique of contemporary formalist approaches to art, wherein the artist pursues an artwork with a “disinterested” self, this paper endeavors to underline the transformative aspect of aesthetic experience. Even though it acknowledges the epistemological difference between Gadamer’s phenomenological approach and the Arab-Islamic one, particularly Ibn Sīnā’s treatment of arts and aesthetics, it nonetheless discovers some subtle similarities between the two. Consequently, it articulates artistic endeavor as an act of askesis (spiritual exercise) aimed at theosis (becoming like God).
Link: https://doi.org/10.5840/islamicphil202415212
—————————————————————
Tags: #Islam #Theology #Avicenna
⬜️⬛️
Measuring Muslim Lifestyle Using a Halal Scale
By Ulrich Riegel et al, University of Siegen
The background and motivation of the research presented in this article is the obligation of Public Theology to do justice to young Muslim refugees as a minority group in German society regarding the role of religiosity in the way they are coping with life. In the research process, the authors became increasingly aware that most instruments to measure religiosity have a Western and/or Protestant bias in that they are more interested in religious attitude than in religious practice and/or religious lifestyle, which is very important for Muslim religiosity. Therefore, this article focuses on the distinction between halal and haram as indicators of religious practice according to Muslim benchmarks. Both the concept and the operationalization of a two-dimensional instrument of living a halal life are described. The instrument distinguishes between the individual importance of halal goods (food, medicine, cosmetics) and services (doctors) and their availability in the local environment. Each of the two dimensions comprises four items. Construct validity is shown by confirmatory factor analysis (CFIrobust = 0.934, TLIrobust = 0.902, RMSEArobust = 0.114 [0.073; 0.156]) of a sample of N= 155 Muslim adolescents who have fled to Germany from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. External validity is tested by analyzing the correlation of the measurement instrument developed by the authors with the Centrality of Religiosity Scale. The presented halal instrument offers an approach to Muslim lifestyle that meets the orthopractic character of this religion. At the same time, it addresses the consequential dimension of religion within quantitative research.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1093/jis/etae049
—————————————————————
Tags: #Islam #Muslim #Sociology #Religion
⬜️⬛️
‘The Caliphate Will Last for Thirty Years’: Polemic and Political Thought in the Afterlife of a Prophetic Ḥadīth
By Han Hsien Liew, Arizona State University
The Prophetic ḥadīth ‘The caliphate will last for thirty years, then it will be kingship’ is one of the key proof texts for the Sunni doctrine of the ‘rightly guided caliphs’. While modern scholarship has examined its origins and transmission during the first two centuries of Islam, the political discussions that emerged from it after the crystallization of Sunnism in the third/ninth and fourth/tenth centuries have not received adequate attention. By examining ḥadīth compilations and commentaries, theological treatises, and historical chronicles, this article maps out the various ways in which Sunni Muslim scholars have engaged with the ḥadīth. It argues that in addition to employing the ḥadīth as a polemical tool against Shiʿi political claims, most Sunni scholars through the Mamluk period sought to circumvent its literal meaning out of reluctance to concede that a legitimate caliphate was limited to the first four caliphs. But in doing so, they were also hard-pressed to define what a true caliphate entailed. The ensuing discussions surrounding the ‘thirty-year ḥadīth’ often revolved around the political ideals of consensus, justice, and piety. They also shed light on the intricate connection between historiographical considerations and political thought in medieval Islam.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1093/jis/etae049
—————————————————————
Tags: #Islam #Hadith #Politics
⬜️⬛️
Basic religious certainty and the New Testament
By Neil O’Hara, King’s College London
Are there basic religious certainties? That is, are there any beliefs which religious people legitimately hold without the need for rational justification? The question has been tackled, in different ways, by both Hinge Epistemologists and by Reformed Epistemologists. For the former, discussion has revolved around very general religious beliefs such as ‘God exists’ (e.g. Pritchard, 2000; Helm, 2001; Hoyt, 2007; Ariso, 2020). Reformed Epistemologists, like Alvin Plantinga, argue that Christian theism and particular Christian beliefs are ‘properly basic’ in that ‘I don’t believe them on the basis of any other propositions’ (Plantinga, 1981, p. 42). In this paper I want to do two things. First, I give an account of what basic religious certainty is from a Wittgensteinian, Hinge Epistemology point of view. On this account I will argue that the clearest examples of basic religious certainties are found in local, historical and more narrow expressions of religious belief, as opposed to the very general acontextual religious beliefs usually discussed. Secondly, I challenge the Reformed Epistemological notion that Christian doctrine can be ‘properly basic’, mainly by showing that the New Testament writers did not treat very general religious beliefs, such as ‘God exists’ or God is good’, as properly basic in either the Hinge or Reformed Epistemological ways. I will conclude by drawing out some implications for contemporary Christian epistemology.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11153-024-09935-z
—————————————————————
Tags: #ReformedEpistemology #Religion #Christianity #God #Plantinga
⬜️⬛️
Parental Sanctification, God Images, and Parental Happiness and Satisfaction in the United States
By Laura Upenieks, Baylor University; Christopher G. Ellison, University of Texas
The goal of this study was to assess the relationship between non-theistic parental sanctification and well-being among parents, and whether parents’ primary images of God (authoritative, benevolent, critical, and distant) modified this relationship among American parents. Drawing on nationally representative data from the 2014 Baylor Religion Survey (N = 1078), our cross-sectional results suggest that non-theistic sanctification was linked to greater overall happiness and satisfaction in the parental role. We also found consistent evidence that the relationship between non-theistic parental sanctification and greater happiness and parental satisfaction was stronger for individuals with either an authoritative or benevolent God image, and weaker among those with parents with a distant God image. The study of sanctification in conjunction with images of the divine offers one fruitful approach to understanding both the benefits and risks of integrating religion/spirituality into daily life.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12945
—————————————————————
Tags: #God #Religion #Psychology #Spirituality
⬜️⬛️
Meaning, purpose, and narrative
By Michael Zhao, University of Notre Dame
According to many philosophers, “the meaning of life” refers to our cosmic purpose, the activity that we were created by God or a purposive universe to perform. If there is no God or teleology, there is no such thing as the meaning of life. But this need not be the last word on the matter. In this paper, I ask what the benefits provided by a cosmic purpose are, and go on to argue that thinking of our lives in a particular way—in terms of a unified life narrative—can supply us with many of those benefits. We might lose little if there is no such thing as the meaning of life, since there is still something that can provide much of what is valuable about it.
Link: https://doi.org/10.1111/nous.12532
—————————————————————
Tags: #God #Teleology #Purpose
⬜️⬛️
Ethics of Artificial Intelligence a Purposeful and Foundational Study in Light of the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad
By Abdel Aziz Shaker Hamdan Al Kubaisi, United Arab Emirates University
This study represents an attempt to establish the ethics of artificial intelligence in light of the second legislative source in Islam: the Sunnah of the Prophet. This study adopted the descriptive, analytical, and deductive approach through content analysis based on inferences from the Prophet’s hadiths with the aim of clarifying the underlying approach to these ethics in light of this. It concluded with a set of ethics related to artificial intelligence, which were rooted in the light of the Prophet’s Sunnah in a way that ensures its correct and disciplined use and achieves the integrity of the desired means and goals. These ethics were represented in the legitimacy of design and function; neutrality and impartiality; safety, control, and responsibility; respect for privacy; setting codified systems and regulations; environmental sustainability; respect for individual, institutional, and intellectual property; consideration of humanity; and achieving balance. The research established its roots in the honorable Sunnah of the Prophet and in light of the objectives of Islamic law.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15111300
—————————————————————
Tags: #Islam #IslamicLaw #AI #Ethics
⬜️⬛️
Transcending Ibn Rushd’s methods of reasoning
By Abbas Ahsan, University of Birmingham
Ibn Rushd presents different methods of reasoning. Each method differs in terms of its construction, level of assent, and the cognitive state it ultimately produces. Despite these technical variations, notable authors suggest that they are all equally valid and sound. I analyse this claim, and argue that although demonstrative and dialectical arguments are both valid and sound, there is a theoretical discrepancy between the two. Subsequently, I explore how underscoring this issue would motivate a non-classical/many-valued logic and a plurality of truth in being able to make sense of the theoretical discrepancy.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101253
—————————————————————
Tags: #Islam #IbnRushd #Logic #Truth
⬜️⬛️
The Pursuit for Cosmic Wisdom and ‘Promethean’ Leadership in the Pythagorean and Al-Fārābīan Political Philosophy
By Michail Theodosiadis, University of Kurdistan Hewlêr
This study reflects on aspects of the Pythagorean political philosophy and compares them to those of Abu Nasr Muhammad al-Fārābī’s thought. Both share a key assumption: excellent rulers must be political scientists who seek divine guidance to ensure the prevalence of reason over passions in public life while reconciling society with the harmony and wisdom of the cosmos. By imitating God’s perfection and incorporating divine wisdom into governance, virtuous rulers promote felicity, prosperity and peace within a city. We highlight al-Fārābī’s emphasis on the role of religion in enabling citizens to internalize the wisdom of the cosmos, thereby minimising the need for coercion in the pursuit of order and social concord. In addition, the populace leverages the superior knowledge of each governor while observing their behaviour. Thus, the people have a share in the exercise of political power. This insistence on the involvement of the populace in politics aligns with the concept of ‘political Prometheism’.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101253
—————————————————————
Tags: #AlFarabi #God #Politics #History
⬜️⬛️
‘The Caliphate Will Last for Thirty Years’: Polemic and Political Thought in the Afterlife of a Prophetic Ḥadīth
By Han Hsien Liew, Arizona State University
The Prophetic ḥadīth ‘The caliphate will last for thirty years, then it will be kingship’ is one of the key proof texts for the Sunni doctrine of the ‘rightly guided caliphs’. While modern scholarship has examined its origins and transmission during the first two centuries of Islam, the political discussions that emerged from it after the crystallization of Sunnism in the third/ninth and fourth/tenth centuries have not received adequate attention. By examining ḥadīth compilations and commentaries, theological treatises, and historical chronicles, this article maps out the various ways in which Sunni Muslim scholars have engaged with the ḥadīth. It argues that in addition to employing the ḥadīth as a polemical tool against Shiʿi political claims, most Sunni scholars through the Mamluk period sought to circumvent its literal meaning out of reluctance to concede that a legitimate caliphate was limited to the first four caliphs. But in doing so, they were also hard-pressed to define what a true caliphate entailed. The ensuing discussions surrounding the ‘thirty-year ḥadīth’ often revolved around the political ideals of consensus, justice, and piety. They also shed light on the intricate connection between historiographical considerations and political thought in medieval Islam.
Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15101253
—————————————————————
Tags: #Islam #Hadith #History
