Journal Of Religious Thought
Year:2009 | Volume:- | Issue:31|Papers Count:9

The theory of the unity of the world was considered in different types in the history of human's thought. The supporters of this theory have tried to prove it in many ways. In contrast to this theory, there is the concept of possible Worlds that accept multiplicity of the world.In this paper we try to have a critical discussion on each of these two theories. Then we evaluate the reasons and justifications of each of them.

The present article is an attempt to critically examine the relationship between the hermeneutical philosophical tradition and the nature of the social sciences within the framework of the Ricoeur's philosophical system. It tries to show how Ricoeur considers a total philosophy of understanding simultaneously as a theory of method, epistemology, and ontology; and how he shares certain principles with Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Husserl, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, and Freud; and how at the same time he distinguishes himself from them by presenting his own certain original and unique insights. And finally there are certain concluding critical comments on Ricoeur's peculiar hermeneutical philosophy.

Because of some assertions such as calling God as Nature, immanent cause, infinite substance, and accepting extension as an attribute of God, Philosophy of Spinoza was described by some as a pantheistic perspective in which God is not conceived as transcending the universe.In this essay kinds of transcendence are presented and immanent aspects of philosophy of Spinoza are examined, and we will use some expressions and terms of Islamic philosophy and mysticism to explain these issues.

The immateriality of soul, as the most important subject in the knowledge of soul, was noticed by the great philosophers, including Plato, Plotinus and Ibn- sina (Avicenna). They separately propounded the new discussions and had innovations about the subject. Now, there is a question whether Suhrawardi, who is founder of Hekmat - al-Ishraq (a school of Islamic philosophy) and discussed about the Immateriality of soul, have a new innovation about it (especially because he propounded a theory named "The presence knowledge" that connected whit the nature of soul).We show in this paper that Suhrawardi had a new approach to this subject based on the "presence knowledge" theory as well as the previous philosophers' methods. In his mystical treatises, he uses a symbolic language to represent new approaches to this subject. In this relation, we can call him a hero of the philosophy of soul.

This Paper will discuss theological views of two great Muslim and Christian mysics, Ala'al-Dowla Simnani and Bonaventure. Simnani has a special view on the problem of unity which can be called "Unity of Vision" which is in opposition to Ibn Arabi's "Unity of Being". Also he insists on a kind of negative theology. These are the very same views for which Bonaventure is famous. In this paper we will try to show how these two mystics from two different traditions can represent a theological mysticism based on their own experiences and the holey texts of their traditions.

We can study the issue of "Understanding the Qur'an" from various aspects, such as: the characteristics of those who are going to understand it, the conditions that may lay the ground for "Understanding" and the obstacles that may get in the way of it. Do all of those who really want to understand the Qur'an reach the same level of "Understanding"? If not, what are the factors that can be led to the promotion of "Understanding" and achievement of the exact inner meaning of the Qur'an? So, in the first part of this paper, we will discuss understanding's obstacles and in its second part, 16 conditions and ways of understanding the profundity of the Qur'an will be brought in. When one promotes in "Understanding the Qur'an" progressively, that person can gradually pass levels of sense and reason and reach revelation level and converse with God. In this occasion, the true "Understanding" takes place. Depending upon the depth of change, one can discover one of the Qur'an's mysteries. The reason that "Understanding the Qur'an" has different stages and degrees underlies in this fact that those who want to understand it are not the same.

The purpose of this paper is firstly, to defend the evidentialist approach to the rationality of beliefs, secondly, to examine the evidentialist challenge to the rationality of religious beliefs, and thirdly, to survey Plantinga's approach to the challenge. In this paper, I will argue that the evidentialist challenge is flawed; however, the evidentialism is defensible. So, Plantinga's project to refute evidentialism is not perfect, because he does not need to have a position against evidentialism to establish the rationality of belief in God, rather he may accept evidentialism and at the same time to refute the challenge by means of a complementary account of evidentialism.In this paper it will be shown that we can develop the concept of evidence to include private evidence as well, because evidence is not restricted to the propositional evidence or public evidence. Furthermore, I will argue that in spite of basicality of belief in God, the theistic beliefs still need the discriminating evidence in some contexts. Accordingly, a new concept of evidentialism will be offered for religious beliefs to be rationally justified.