The subject of Existence has been a source for contention among philosophers, religious scholars, and scientists alike. There have been many theses and treatises written in this regard. In this article, we discuss existence and its different forms using metaphysics and ontological explanations.
Download PDFUnderstanding different perspectives about the existence of God
It is observed that most of things in the Cosmos are inter- dependent on each other. For instance, human beings are dependent on food, water, favourable environment etc, and human food, vegetation, drinking water are dependent upon other things for their existence. A deeper look into this scenario reveals that there must be a comprehensive existence on which all things are dependent in one way or other. Meaning existence of a perfect independent existence is more logical than the existence of a less perfect existence. Philosophers are fascinated and mystified with this logical explanation of a most perfect existence (God) in the Cosmos which is the cause of all existences in the world. However, there are some philosophers who deny the existence of a perfect entity in this Cosmos and say that natural selection is a self-evolutionary process, and all existences evolve because of this process. We have discussed different perceptions and arguments of the people in this context to find out the most logical perception about the existence of God.
Download PDFUnderstanding Realism from the perspectives of Philosophy and Islam
Philosophical Realism is a theory that claims that whatever we see in the world is real, existing on its own and is not an illusion or mental framework. It is opposed to the skeptic and solipsist theory which claims that anything outside one's own mind is not real, rather it is fictitious. Idealism is a theory which claims that the reality is influenced by our thoughts and ideas. There is an Islamic point of view about the reality of essence and existence which is different from the philosophical Realism theories of essence and existence. All the theories come with their own set of limitations. In this article we have tried to address these limitations. We have also introduced to the readers a detailed explanation of Islamic Realism and how it addresses such limitations. In doing so we have introduced a novel methodology of addressing Realism in its correct perspective.
Download PDFUnderstanding the Meaning of Life
When we use the word ‘meaning’, it is to say what is (i) intended, (ii) expressed, or (iii) indicated. This is the reason why people can derive multiple meanings from the same instance. Similarly, there are differences of opinions in the logical perception of the meaning of life among the people belonging to different fields of expertise and their search has resulted in many scientific, philosophical, psychological, metaphysical, theological, and religious answers to this question. We have discussed these perceptions briefly in this paper to see if there is any common ground in all these perceptions.
Download PDFUnderstanding Free Will from the perspectives of Philosophy, Neuroscience, and Islam
The concept of free will is a subject of debate for centuries among philosophers, scientific community and religious scholars. Some people say free will is not possible, while others say it is possible. Those who oppose the existence of free will, say how can free will be possible in a deterministic physical environment? Determinism is a principle that everything happening in the Cosmos, including human actions, depend upon cause-and-effect. Those who say it is possible, argue that free will is compatible with determinism and there is no logical conflict between the two. Therefore, Free will is possible. Currently, this problem is addressed by neuroscience in which it is claimed that there is a correlation between free will and brain function. The will of a person is dependent upon certain unconscious intentions taking place in the brain that result in human actions. They say, there is a build-up of activity in the brain that results in spontaneous voluntary movements (SVM). This neuroscience perspective of free will is closer to the ‘instinctive and common-sense’ perspective of philosophy. In addition, every religion in the world has a viewpoint as regards to free will. In this paper we have explained Islamic point of view about free will. All related issues have been discussed in this paper in order to reach to some new findings in this context.
Download PDFNihilism and its effects on society today
Nihil means ‘nothing’ and ‘ism’ means ‘ideology.’ When these two words are joined, it means ‘ideology of nothing’ or ‘believe in nothing’. Nihilism is a philosophy of moral and epistemological scepticism that became popular in 19th-century Russia during the early years of the reign of Tsar Alexander II. Currently, various forms of nihilism have been identified, like (i) Existential nihilism, (ii) Cosmic nihilism, (iii) Epistemological nihilism, (iv) Metaphysical nihilism, (v) Mereological nihilism, (vi) Moral nihilism, (vii) Passive and Active nihilism, (viii) Political nihilism, (ix) Medical nihilism, etc. A brief account of these categories has been provided in this paper to find out how these affect people, individually and collectively. It is valuable research for all those who would like to identify the nihilistic emotions and rectify them for a positive living.
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