Journal Of Religious Thought
Year:2013 | Volume:13 | Issue:2 (47)|Papers Count:8

Considering three philosophers-Ghazali, Hume, and Kant-we perceive that they were at grips with skepticism and each had a different attitude towards it. While Hume remains in a skeptical sphere, Ghazali and Kant offer solutions for skepticism, although their solutions differ largely. Criticizing Aristotle’s view on essential necessity, Ghazali expands Avicenna’s emphasis on experimentation and, in effect, negates the necessary relation between cause and effect. Ghazali preceded Hume in this regard for some 6 centuries and put forward Hume’s main idea. In order to overcome skepticism, Kant appealed to rationality and it’s a priori backgrounds, while Ghazali put forward God’s will and put the emphasis on the inner direct experience. It will be argued that God’s deeds, rationality and faith should be compatible in principle.

The concept of possible worlds was borne in analytic philosophy. It had an important role in overcoming the skepticism which was resulted from new empiricism and rejected modal logic. This led to a vast discussion around the nature of the concept of possible worlds. Some philosophers considered possible worlds as abstract and possible states of the affairs of this actual world. Some others, the most important of who is David Lewis, using the approach called reductive nominalism have considered all the possible worlds as concrete. According to this approach there exist other concrete worlds in addition to this actual one; so modal notions must be defined based on non modal notions.In this paper, first we describe Lewis's theory. Then we discuss some objections to his theory. Finally, based on the theories of Islamic philosophers, we will show how modal notions can be extracted from reality and so there is no need to assume plural concrete possible worlds in order to explain modal notions.

The question of the truth of language of religion is among the key questions in the field of religion language. The importance of this issue for religious scholars originates from the fact that mostreligious beliefs of the believers are retrieved from the doctrines expressed in religion language.From the perspective of epistemology, knowledge achieving concerning religious beliefs is possible if they are true. In addition, from the perspective of religious faith, false doctrines in religion language are in contrast with God's absolute knowledge and benevolence.In this paper, a brief review of truth theories is presented and then three main topics of the truth of religion language are studied as: capacity of religious language to be described as true, the possibility for human understanding to achieve the truth of religion language, the criteria of authority of religious beliefs if achieving their truths is impossible.

The followers of transcendent wisdom believe in correspondence theory among the theories of the truth. In their opinion a proposition is true if it corresponds to the "Fact- itself" which is more general than object and subject (mind). Among Cartesians, it is only Spinoza who defends the correspondence theory. The other Cartesians consider clarity and distinction as the criteria of the truth. In epistemology there are two approaches to the justification: internalism and externalism. Both Sadra'i and Cartesian philosophers believe in internalism. But Sadra'is consider foundationalism as the criterion of justification.Anyhow, Cartesians emphasize on the role of God in both the justification and the theory of the truth. Discard said that because there is a God who does not deceive us, we can gain true knowledge.Also Sadra'i philosophers believe in an outstanding role of God in epistemology. Mulla Sadra considers inspiration and enlightening by God as the most certain knowledge. In this paper we will compare the true and the justification theories in the epistemological systems of these two groups of philosophers.

This paper Studies the causes of human's tendency toward religion from Erich Fromm's point of view. There are different approaches to this issue: sociological, psychological and philosophical-theological. Fromm believes that two agents cause human beings to go toward religion: first, the need to common outlook and second, escaping responsibility. Since these two factors have been permanent in human history, his tendency to religion has been permanent too. Fromm believes that human's tendency to religion has had unpleasant results such as: establishing unjust and opinionated religious governments, emergence of religious scholar class who misused religious concepts, and multiple wars. Fromm's viewpoints on human's tendency to religion have been faced some objections. Common outlook is a result of Religiousness not a cause of tendency toward a religion. Escaping responsibility also is not a tendency agent toward a religion. For religion itself creates responsibility, and that is way some people do not accept any religion. Those unpleasant results which Fromm counted for religion cannot be generalized to all religions.

Faith is one of the central concepts in religious thought and in philosophy of religion. But there is not a unique understanding of this concept among theologians and philosophers. Some define faith as belief in proposition and others, criticizing the propositional view of faith, define it as facing God, belief in God, and committing to him.In this paper we will compare the views of two philosophers from two different cultures in this subject. We should consider both revelational and philosophical elements in Mulla Sadra's concept of faith while Jaspers' faith is not based on revelation but only on his philosophical concepts such as existence and its different levels, God and transcendence, human's freedom and free will, and historical and subjective dimensions of the truth. Mulla Sadra has a propositional view in this relation and sees faith as an epistemological issue. So we can find some similarities between these two thinkers.

Bhakti or Devotional Worship is a form of Vishnu thought that has its roots in the history of Hinduism. This ritual exists in various traditions and movements throughout the south and north India and it underwent numerous changes made by different theologians and philosophers. The elements of this form of religion and its effect could be studied and identified in Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavatism, literature of epic era and other theologians, Sutras and eventually in thought of interpreters of mystical thought of Ramanuja and the other Vishnu theologians. In this paper, first we will discuss the signs of this way of rituals in various periods of the history of Hinduism and then we will show the complexity of philosophical thought and simplicity of thought based on Bhakti.

Allama Iqbal Lahoori is the theorist of wisdom of selfness who sees wisdom as mixed with pain and love. He believes in wisdom, nationality, andself confidence which rises from the depth of human nature, creation and truth. This wisdom has consequences such as dynamism, resistance, and transcendence. Iqbal's worldview is rest on an oriental and lightened mysticism and intellect which not only reject the western reason (Secularism, Feminism, Marxism, Nihilism and Nationalism) but also stress on an ideal man who possesses both a divinely given intellect and a dynamic and resistant heart which can fight against the injustice and oppression.