Lecture Notes (UNGS 1301K) Part 1 (1) PDF

BASIC PHILOSOPHY& ISLAMIC WORLDVIEW © Department of Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Studies STANDARD CONTENTS PART I 2018-2019 WORLDVIEW Copyright only on content, excluding photos...

BASIC PHILOSOPHY& ISLAMIC WORLDVIEW © Department of Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Studies STANDARD CONTENTS PART I 2018-2019 WORLDVIEW Copyright only on content, excluding photos 1 WEEK 1 WORLDVIEW: Definition, necessity and a brief historical development 2 PHILOSOPHY Meaning Philosophy from Greek word, philo sophia, (love of wisdom) is the study of general and fundamental questions about ontology (existence), epistemology (theory of knowledge), cosmology (Knowledge of universe), metaphysics (beyond nature), ethics logic and values. 3 IMPORTANCE OF PHILOSOPHY In one general sense, philosophy is associated with wisdom, intellectual culture, and a search for knowledge. In this sense, all cultures and literate societies ask philosophical questions, such as who are we? Why are we created? Is there God? 4 CONT.. how are we to live? and what is the nature of reality? Etc.…. 5 KINDS OF PHILOSOPHY Kinds of Philosophy 1. Western Philosophy is the philosophical tradition of the Western world, dating back to pre-Socratic thinkers who were active in 6th-century Greece (BCE). 6 CONT.. Western philosophy can be divided into three eras: 1. Ancient (Greco-Roman); 2. Medieval philosophy (Christian European); and 3. Modern philosophy. 7 CONT… 2. Middle Eastern philosophy The regions of the Fertile Crescent, Iran and Arabia are home to the earliest known philosophical Wisdom literature and is today mostly dominated by Islamic culture. 8 CONT… 3. Indian Philosophy Indian philosophy refers to the diverse philosophical traditions that emerged since the ancient times on the Indian subcontinent. Jainism and Buddhism originated at the end of the Vedic period, while Hinduism emerged after the period as a fusion of diverse traditions. 9 CONT… More Importantly, Indian philosophical concepts shared by the Indian philosophies and beliefs. include: dhárma ('that which upholds or supports') karma (kárman, 'act', 'action', 'performance') artha ('wealth', 'property') kā́ma ('desire') duḥkha ('suffering') 10 CONT… 4.Indigenous American Philosophy Indigenous-American philosophical thought consists of a wide variety of beliefs and traditions among different American cultures. 11 CONT… 5. African Philosophy African philosophy is philosophy produced by African people, philosophy that presents African worldviews, ideas and themes, or philosophy that uses distinct African philosophical methods. 12 CONT… 6.Eastern philosophy or Asian philosophy It includes the various philosophies that originated in East and South Asia including Chinese philosophy, Indian philosophy (including Hindu philosophy, Jain philosophy, Buddhist philosophy, and Sikh philosophy), South East Asia Philosophy, Japanese philosophy, and Korean philosophy etc.. 13  MEANINGS of “WORLDVIEW” o An English translation of the German term “weltanschauung”. o Arabic: “ru’yat lil- wujud” ‫ رؤية للوجود‬, or “al-naẓrat al-‘ālamiyyah” ‫النظرة العالمية‬ o Malay: pandangan alam / pandangan semesta o A set of beliefs on fundamental aspects of reality surrounding us: One’s perceiving, knowing and A view of life doing A perception of the world Study of the world and its aspects A particular philosophy of life 14  MEANINGS oA concept of the world held by individuals & groups oA philosophy of life, oA mind-set and outlook on life oA formula for life oAn ideology for faith 15  MEANINGS o A set of attitudes on a wide range of fundamental matters o A comprehensive set of propositions about various aspects of the world o A unified and comprehensive view of the world around us and man’s place within it. o Basic assumptions and images toward understanding all existing things and beings oA guide or a map toward realizing one’s religious, social, political, economic and cultural views and relationships 16  OTHER WORLDVIEWS DEFINED BY WESTERN SCHOLARS o The concepts developed by human intellect on the basis of assumptions pertaining to human cultures, deal with the nature of reality, the organization of the universe, the ends and purposes of human life. (Paul Herbert) o A set of presuppositions and assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false that provides a basic constitution of reality and the foundation on which we live, move and have our being. (James Sire) 17  OTHER WORLDVIEWS DEFINED BY WESTERN SCHOLARS o An individual oriented accomplishment as a sort of personal religious belief in construction, internationalization and implementation of worldview, which differentiate between traditional dogma and faith. (Edmund Husserl) o A self-realized, productive as well as conscious way of apprehending and interpreting the universe of beings. (Martin) o A set of beliefs about fundamental aspects of reality that ground and influence one’s perceiving, thinking, knowing and doing or one’s philosophy, philosophy of life, mindset, outlook on life, formula for life, ideology, faith, or religion. (Ken Funk) 18  NECESSITY of UNDERSTANDING WORLDVIEWS 1. Human life: Knowing about the world’s different people, cultures and civilization 2. Human behavior: Assists in interacting with nature, individuals, peoples, nations, cultures and civilizations Guides in correcting our perceptions, ideas, values, perspectives, attitudes and behavior Formulates theories of politics, society, culture, and civilization 19  FUNDAMENTAL MATTERS AND QUERIES (James Seri) How far out does the universe go? Did it have a beginning and will it have an end? How was it that we humans came about here on earth? Does life have a purpose? If it does, what can give meaning to my life? Does my daily conduct matter in the long run? What happens to me at my death? Existing and Conception of God? What is good and what is bad? How can I know the good and the bad? How should I be treating others? How can I know? 20  OBJECTIVES OF THE WORLDVIEW o A model of the world o Ability to explain and answer the questions o Ability to see through good and bad values and answer the questions o Ability to know how to act properly o Ability to construct people knowledge about existence and truth o Ability to develop a set of philosophical premises adhered to in life 21 CLASSIFICATION OF WORLDVIEW Worldview Religious Non-religious Not revealed, Secularism, Revealed & Revealed but Modernism, Post-modernism, based on human preserved interpolated Agnosticism wisdom Etc. Atheism Materialism Positivism Rationalism Scientism 22 WEEK 2 MODERN & CONTEMPORARY WORLDVIEWS: Naturalism Secular Humanism Post-Modernism 23  NATURALISM o Derived from the word ‘nature’, means; ‘self-contained’ or ‘self- explanatory’ o An atheistic & materialistic theory of life and universe o A mechanical view of the world of nature o Universe evolved by itself - all beings and events in the universe are natural, vis-à-vis “accidents of nature” o Denies the existence of a Creator, or of truly supernatural realities o A form of realism that particularly focuses on o how science & technology affect society as a whole, o how society & genetics affect individuals 24  DEVELOPMENT o 5th/6th centuries B.C.: paid Greek & Roman sophists used tools of philosophy to develop ‘naturalism’ or ‘religion of nature’ o Naturalism movement in Europe between 18th to 19th centuries o Early 19th century, C. Darwin wrote The Origin of Species, theorized that only the fittest of any natural species would survive to pass on its genetic material o 19th-20th century Europe: Émile Zola (1840-1902) advocated naturalism in his essay “Naturalism on the Stage” (1880) o Other early naturalists: o Henrick Ibsen (1828-1906), Maxim Gorky’ (1868-1936), Anton Chekhov (1860- 1904), Nikolai Gogol (1808-1852) 25  NATURALISM DEFINED o Relates scientific method to philosophy - that all beings and events in the universe are natural o Denies the existence of truly supernatural realities, it makes allowance for the supernatural, provided that knowledge of it can be had indirectly o Philosophical problems as traditionally conceived as ill-formulated and can be solved / displaced by naturalistic & empirical methods 26  CHARACTERISTICS OF NATURALISM o Naturalism bears on many areas of philosophy, e.g. metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and philosophy of mind the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness, and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. o To naturalists, there is only the natural order, ie. nature is accessible through observation and the methods of the empirical sciences. o Other than this, the alleged entity is not a real entity or a genuine truth, it is not something recognized as real. 27  KARL R. POPPER (1996:82-83) o “The history of science, even of modern science since the Renaissance, and especially since Francis Bacon, may be taken as an illustration. o Bacon was the prophet of the secularized religion of science. He replaced ‘God’ by the name ‘Nature’ […]. o Theology, the science of God, was replaced by the science of Nature. o The laws of God were replaced by the laws of Nature. God’s power was replaced by the forces of Nature.” 28  SECULAR HUMANISM o Secular: “… worldly things as distinguished from things relating to church and religion; not sacred or religious; temporal; worldly.” o Humanism: “A system of thought or action based on the nature, interests and ideals of man; specifically, o a modern, nontheistic, rationalist movement that [says] man is capable of self- fulfillment, ethical conduct, etc. without recourse to supernaturalism” g o Secular Humanism: emphasizes on a naturalistic worldview, that the physical world / nature is all that exists or is real o It emphasizes scientific inquiry and rejects revealed knowledge as well as theistic morality. 29  DEVELOPMENT o 1930s "humanism" was used in religious sense by the ethical movement in the US, not favored among the non-religious in Britain. o The convergence of the ethical and rationalist movement gradually begot the non-religious humanism gradually in Britain, and eventually prevailed throughout the free thought movement. o Free thought is a philosophy that views positions regarding truth to be formed on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism, rather than authority, tradition, or other dogmas. 30  DEVELOPMENT o Humanism is quite recent – 1896: The Union of Ethical Societies was founded by Stanton Coit. 1920s: born at the U. of Chicago, 1933: made public with the publication of the first Humanist Manifesto. 1943: The American Humanist Association was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit organization. 1952: The International Humanist and Ethical Union was founded, a gathering of world Humanists met under the leadership of Sir Julian Huxley. 1967: The British Ethical Societies took up the name the Humanist Association. 31  CHARACTERISTICS of SECULAR HUMANISM o Religion: Atheists / agnostics DOESN’T believe in revealed religions, hence, scriptures as untrue. REJECTS beliefs in God, prophecy, creed and rituals. OPPOSES religious authority & political ideologies which are viewed as curbing the free thinking human mind. o One World: against division on the basis of nationalistic borders. Goal is to achieve a world community with a common system of law organized by a trans-national federal government since this is believed as the best option for present society at this point in human history. 32  CHARACTERISTICS of SECULAR HUMANISM o Evolution: Secular Humanists are not creationists. Believe the universe is self-existing, not created. Humankind is part of nature, emerged from continuous, natural evolutionary forces. Darwin’s theory of evolution as true and impose it on many dimensions of human life, not just biological. o Sexual expression: Many varieties of sexual expression as NOT evil. Do not agree in limiting sexual behaviors between consenting adults, either by law or social customs. Open views on sexual expressions, society should therefore recognize the right to birth control, abortion, and divorce. 33  CHARACTERISTICS of SECULAR HUMANISM o Morality / Ethics: No absolute system of ethics or morals. The values human beings hold are rooted in their human experiences & culture. o Five aspects of secular humanist morality that are widely accepted today: The pursuit of happiness as basic goal of ethical life The recognition that each person has equal dignity and value. The ideal of moral freedom Tolerance towards the diversity of values and principles in different individuals and groups in society The focus on human reason as the basis of ethical choice. 34  CHARACTERISTICS of SECULAR HUMANISM o Education: Encourage moral awareness, the capacity for free choice, and an understanding of the consequences of choices. Education is the essential method of building humane, free, and democratic societies. Although the study of the history of religious and moral practices is appropriate for education however, but are against the indoctrination of children in a belief system before they are mature enough to evaluate it. o Disenchantment of nature: Freeing nature from its religious overtones, Nature is not a divine entity. No real scientific breakthrough is possible until man can face nature unafraid. 35  CHARACTERISTICS of SECULAR HUMANISM o De-consecration (relativization) of values: The disappearance of securely grounded values There are no longer direct expressions of the divine will. They have ceased to be values, but only invalid instruments of valuation o De-sacralization of politics: No one rules by divine right. No significant political and social change possible where the ruling regime is directly legitimated by religious symbols. 36  POSTMODERNISM o Literally, “Post” practice, usage, or expression peculiar to modern times, o Two sense of the word: Post-modern:Tthe continuation of modernism, perhaps in new perspectives. Postmodern: Something fresh and new, nothing similar with modernism at all. o A reaction towards modernism’s cultural dominance of. Reality of 21st century to the present day Not limited to art / architecture alone, a universal concept for every field of knowledge and human affairs, eventually resulting in ‘the end of modernism’. 37  CONCEPT o Postmodernism is a new concept or ideology, completely distinguished from modernism, abolishes the basic principles of modernism found beneath every single aspect of human’s life. o Jean Francois Lyotard (1924-1998): French philosopher and Sociologist popularized the term in The Postmodern condition: A Report on Knowledge in English (1984). promote the universal skeptic for reviewing universal theories. p o Jacques Derrida (1930-2004): French thinker, proposed theory of ‘deconstruction’ a process of reconstructing literal and philosophy texts, coming out with reformulation of revelation texts. pyy o Michel Foucault (1926-1984)6, also a French philosopher and historian who doubts about the writing of history. the importance to be critical in history of modernity in lieu of the dishonesty and bias in modern historical narratives. 38  CHARACTERISTICS OF POSTMODERNISM oSkepticism: the essence & innate nature of Postmodernism Truth as a subjective matter All worldviews to be deconstructed & reevaluated to trace the lies & bias within oAnti-dualistic: appreciations of various perspectives rather than conflicts Pluralistic co-existence rather than dualistic approach 39  CHARACTERISTICS OF POSTMODERNISM o Questioning texts: no inherent authority or objectivity of texts either historical or literal Textual information maybe partly true to a particular group but not to others Uncertain, no authority knows what really happened Must reevaluate otherwise the text is not relevant. o Truth is perspective: a matter of context rather than universal. Man only has access to reality the way it appears to us. Must acknowledge that thinking is shaped by forces beyond their control. In order to diminish bias in judgment, cannot claim that truth exclusively belongs to them, that is a false statement. Hence, truth is just mere reflection based on one’s belief or perception. 40  PRINCIPLES OF POST-MODERNISM o No absolute truth, truth is relative, contingency is everything o No reality o Simulacrum: Imagination and speculation o Meaningless and valueless o Total Doubt o Multiplicities of truth, ethnicities, diversities, and cultures o Equal representation for class gender sexual orientation 41 REFERENCES: 1. Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 2004, Accessed March 26, 2015, http://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/postmodern. 2. Paul Newall, “Postmodernism”, Jun 12, 2005, Accessed March 27, http://www.galilean- library.org/site/index.php/page/index.html/_/essays/introducingphilosophy/12-postmodernism-r28. 3. Hassan Ihab, The Postmodern Turn, Essays in Postmodern Theory and Culture, (Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1987), 12. 4. Clinton Bennet, Muslim and Modernity (London: MPG Books Ltd, Bodwin, Cornwall, 2005), 29. 5. Hans Bartens and Joseph Natoli, trans. Postmodernism: The Key Figures (Oxford: Blackwell Publisher Ltd, 2002), 111-119. 6. Bertens and Natoli, Key Figures, 136-140. 7. Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy (New York: Routledge, 2000), 410-12. WEEK 3 ISLAMIC WORLDVIEW: Definition, Characteristics 43  DEFINITIONS o A set of beliefs about fundamental aspects of Reality such as God, man, universe, life after death & their relations that influence all one’s perceiving, thinking, knowing & doing o A theistic & ethical worldview that contrasts with secularistic, materialistic, naturalistic & post-modernistic worldviews o A study of the world, perception of the universe, a philosophy of life, outlook on life, & formula for life, ideology & faith 44  DEFINITIONS o A set of beliefs that life & existence came into being as a result of the will, desire & design of the Creator. o A comprehensive conception of the universe & man’s relation to it, the vision of the reality and truth that appears before one mind’s eye revealing what existence is all about o Understanding the fundamental questions pertaining to the issues of God, the existence of the seen and unseen, universe, man, life, belief, khilafah, ethical values and standard norms, history and Shari‘ah o A guidance for a balanced approach between worldly life ) ‫ ) الدنيا‬and al-akhirah ) ‫ ) اآلخرة‬in which aspects of the former must be inextricably linked to the those of the latter, and in which the latter has ultimate and final significance 45  R DEFINITIONS by SELECTED MUSLIM SCHOLARS o Sayyid Qutb: “al-Taṣawwur al-Islāmī” (Muqawwimāt 1995:104-225) in harmony with human nature )“fiṭrah al-bashariyah”) as it originates from the i Creator. Four fundamental relities i. “al-ḥaqīqah al-Ulūhiyah” , or the reality of God, which manifests & reflects through the following realities: ii. “al-ḥaqīqah al-kawniyyah wa al-ḥayāh al-‘āmmah”, or the reality of the cosmos & life in general, iii. “al-ḥaqīqah al-insāniyah”, or the reality of man as evinced throughout history, and iv. “ḥaqīqah al-ḥayāh” , or the reality of life as portrayed by the angels, prophets and righteous peoples. i The most fundamental distinctive characteristic: its Divine origin, al-Qur’ān; instead of from “intellectual rubbish” (Islamic Concept and Its Characteristics,13). “permanence”, “comprehensiveness”, “balance”, “dynamism” and “realism” (ibid., 27-28) 46  R DEFINITIONS by SELECTED MUSLIM SCHOLARS o Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī: in Islam: An Introduction (2010:43) “The Islamic creed is the seal of all heavenly inspired systems of belief […], which solves the mystery of existence. It explains to man the secret of life and death, and answers those three timeless questions: What is our origin? Where will we go? Why were we created at all? In fact, this belief is not an innovation of Islam, nor is it an invention of Prophet Muḥammad )ṣ). It is rather the same purified belief which all the prophets of Allāh were sent with.” 3 o Abdul Hamid Abu Sulayman: A perception or an idea on issues pertaining to the Creator, universe and its purposes, functions, Prophethood, man, society, and the hereafter as opposed by other worldviews. 3 o M. Kamal Hassan: A comprehensive conception of the Allah swt, universe and man and their relations from the Tawhidic perspective, based on al-Qur’an & Prophetic tradition, intellect & senses. 47  R DEFINITIONS by SELECTED MUSLIM SCHOLARS o S. M. Naquib Al-Attas: The vision of reality and truth that appears before our mind's eye revealing the world of existence in its totality, a metaphysical survey of the visible and invisible 3 worlds including the perspective of life as a whole derived from the Divine source. o Alparslan Acikgenc: A mental framework, mental attitude, a totality of concepts, ultimate foundation of all human conduct, scientific, philosophical and technological activities developed 3 by the individual throughout his/her life. o Choudhury: A comprehensive Islamic design of reality relating to human life, the epistemology of the Divine Unity, the world reality and the world system derived from divine source. 48  R SCOPE OF ISLAMIC WORLDVIEW o Deals with ▪ Metaphysics: the nature or reality and being ▪ Theology: the study of God ▪ Cosmology: the origin and development of the cosmos ▪ Anthropology: the origin of human, societies, their functioning & development ▪ Ontology: the nature of being ▪ Epistemology: the nature of knowledge ▪ Teleology: the explanation of phenomena ▪ Axiology: the nature of value and valuation ▪ Eschatology: the study of death, judgment and the final destiny of the soul 49