Ilahiyat Studies-A Journal on Islamic and Religious Studies最新文献

{"title":"Faith and Reason: A Comparative Analysis of Abū al-Muʿīn al-Nasafī and Thomas Aquinas on Intellect, Assent, and Free Will","authors":"Muhammet SAYGI","doi":"10.12730/is.1317582","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1317582","url":null,"abstract":"This paper aims to explore the complex relationship between intellect, knowledge, and free will in the context of religious faith “fides” or “īmān”. The paper focuses on the perspectives of two prominent theologians, Thomas Aquinas and Abū al-Muʿīn Nasafī, from the Middle Ages. The study begins by examining the aforementioned theologians’ notions about the nature and fundamental aspects of religious faith. It then explores the specific roles assigned by Aquinas and Nasafī to intellect, knowledge, and free will in the act of faith. The final section of the article presents a comparative analysis of their perspectives, highlighting the similarities, differences, and potential tensions between their positions. The findings of this study suggest that Aquinas’ argument, which asserts that grounding faith in knowledge or evidence undermines human free will, may have certain problematic aspects. According to him, one necessarily assents to the proposition at hand if there is conclusive evidence. However, as for Nasafī, it appears that one can both rely on evidence and exercise their free will in the act of faith if religious assent “agnitio” or “taṣdīq” is understood in a dual sense.","PeriodicalId":40354,"journal":{"name":"Ilahiyat Studies-A Journal on Islamic and Religious Studies","volume":"3 5","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136018316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Criticism of Transhumanism from the Society 5.0 Perspective in the Context of Social Values","authors":"Abdulkadir Büyükbi̇ngöl, Taylan Maral","doi":"10.12730/is.1280764","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1280764","url":null,"abstract":"From the standpoint of Society 5.0, the transhumanist perspective, which advances along the trajectory of technological singularity, appears to pose certain challenges, particularly in relation to its treatment of social values. Consequently, it is essential to critically examine and compare these two perspectives. The primary objective of this research is to offer a conceptual contribution aimed at mitigating potential complexities associated with social design projects developed for the future of humanity. \u0000As part of the literature review, data pertaining to the perspectives of Society 5.0 and transhumanism on social values were gathered and systematically analyzed. The findings of the study indicate that while transhumanist objectives may encompass certain positive elements, they are inadequate to achieve a content and flourishing society. Given that the social values that lend meaning to human existence are contingent upon cultural norms, it becomes necessary to reevaluate transhumanist goals in alignment with the principles of Society 5.0. This is because neglecting spiritual well-being can adversely affect goal achievement and may trigger social crises.","PeriodicalId":40354,"journal":{"name":"Ilahiyat Studies-A Journal on Islamic and Religious Studies","volume":"19 5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82899400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The New Materialism and Post-Humanist Studies","authors":"Sait Yilmaz","doi":"10.12730/is.1284715","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1284715","url":null,"abstract":"Through revolutionary developments in science and technology, human beings arrived at the stage of exceeding “being human”. In our time, from a human model that utilizes machines, we will move to the human-machine, in which the human is reinforced by the machine and eventually becomes a type of human exploited by machines. The “Internet of Things” represents the early model of the mega digital machine of humans. The “thing” that is now an article will be a human being in the future. In the new world order, with the exception of those on the top, the elites who represent “technocratic dictatorship”, there will be no more Homo sapiens (Human 1.0), “individual”, “master”, or “independent person”. Approximately 7-8 million people will not need to be trans-human; that is, they will protect their independent roots. The others will race for improvement, and despite being exposed to death, they will be subject to a depopulation (population reduction) program. As in the pandemic period, people will be told that it is to their benefit, but they will not have the right to choose. The program of human development will target humankind. In short, given the tsunami of crisis produced by the new technological materialism, world politics will go beyond being the mediator of the manipulation of the elite. In the current ideological dimension, discussions will focus on the new materialism and post-humanist studies to investigate the future of the world in an ongoing technological revolution and its effects on human beings subject to the transformation of their lives manipulated by world elites.","PeriodicalId":40354,"journal":{"name":"Ilahiyat Studies-A Journal on Islamic and Religious Studies","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82433200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Islamic Classical Theism and the Prospect of Strong Artificial Intelligence","authors":"E. Doko","doi":"10.12730/is.1283109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1283109","url":null,"abstract":"This article investigates the compatibility of strong artificial intelligence (AI) with classical theism, particularly within the Islamic tradition. By examining the functionalist view of mental states, we argue that a Muslim who accepts classical theism should be open to the possibility of AI that possesses genuine mental states. We present two arguments to support this claim: one that challenges substance dualism and another that assumes dualism. Both arguments demonstrate that mental states can arise in at least two different substances, which implies functionalism. As a result, the development of strong AI would not be surprising from an Islamic perspective, and its creation might even provide corroborative evidence for classical theism. This article thus provides a philosophical foundation for the existence of conscious and intelligent machines and their potential compatibility with Islamic beliefs.","PeriodicalId":40354,"journal":{"name":"Ilahiyat Studies-A Journal on Islamic and Religious Studies","volume":"111 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72690550","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Interaction of Religion and Robotics and Al-Sāmi̇rī’s Calf (the Golden Calf) as an Early Theomorphic Robot","authors":"M. Şahi̇n, Mücahit Gülteki̇n","doi":"10.12730/is.1302053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1302053","url":null,"abstract":"The interaction between technology and religion has led to discussions on social robots in religious studies. Various robots have been produced to conduct funerals, give blessings, respond to personal prayer requests, preach, answer religious questions, or instruct religious education. Parallel to these developments, the term theomorphic robot was introduced to describe robots employed for religious purposes, and the characteristics of this type of robot have been described. Attitudes toward technological advances have been influenced by the religious or cultural origins of individuals and society. The present study investigates the “calf”, called “The Story of al-Sāmirī” in Islam and the “Golden calf” in Judaism, in terms of theomorphic robot design and features and discusses whether the “calf” can be considered an early theomorphic robot. It is concluded that the “calf” can be considered an example of an early theomorphic robot in terms of most of its features, and the Story of al-Sāmirī can be employed as a criterion for theomorphic robot analysis. This can explain the interaction between religion and robotics in Muslim culture. Attitudes toward the interaction of religion and robotics vary based on the description and perception of theomorphic robots.","PeriodicalId":40354,"journal":{"name":"Ilahiyat Studies-A Journal on Islamic and Religious Studies","volume":"2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90806725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Critique of Transhumanism's Concept of Humans from the Perspective of Islamic Thought","authors":"Seyithan Can","doi":"10.12730/is.1274636","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1274636","url":null,"abstract":"Transhumanism is defined as a human movement that believes in and attempts to implement ideas and practices aimed at developing and empowering the biological, psychological, and cognitive abilities of humans and helping them become superior to their current biological state through modern science and technological tools. Considering its promises and goals for humans and humanity, this science- and technology-based understanding is also recognized as a sociocultural and ideological movement. Given the effectiveness of areas such as virtual reality, genetic intervention, and artificial intelligence, it is clear that the promises of transhumanism are not so utopian. It is essential to subject the ontological approaches of transhumanism, which consider humans and the universe, to a theological interpretation based on current facts and arguments rather than philosophical and theoretical interpretations. Transhumanism clearly emphasizes that humans are incomplete beings and need to be developed. In this context, it emphasizes the understanding that humans can be empowered to their maximum potential through technology and science. It sets the goal of achieving the transhuman stage initially and then the posthuman stage, which represents the empowered state of humans at their maximum cognitive, emotional, and psychological levels. Although this movement, considered a continuation of humanism, develops humans physically, cognitively, and emotionally, it also treats humans as objects in achieving these goals. In our study, we specifically focus on transhumanism’s conception of humans and attempt to criticize this conception within the framework of the Islamic understanding of human beings. We first explain the concepts of transhuman and posthuman to understand transhumanists’ conception of humans. Transhumanists, who consider the transhuman an intermediate form and an incomplete being that needs to be developed in many aspects, claim that humans will reach maximum competence in the process of posthumanization and that this will be achieved through science and technology. This understanding, which sees humans as a product of evolution, contrasts with the Islamic belief that humans are created by God. Although evolution has historically been positioned as an ideology against religion, we attempt to demonstrate that it can be approached in a way that is compatible with God’s creation and that modern scientific data do not consider evolution impossible. When examined from the perspective of human nature, especially in general Islamic thought, the understanding of the human soul and body is incompatible with the transhumanist understanding of humans. This is because transhumanists reject the concept of the soul, which is considered an essence of the human being in Islamic thought. In contrast, transhumanists completely attribute the phenomenon that Islamic theology accepts as the soul to the biological structure of humans. Thus, they propose a different approac","PeriodicalId":40354,"journal":{"name":"Ilahiyat Studies-A Journal on Islamic and Religious Studies","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89526382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Encounters with the Hidden Imam in Early and Pre-Modern Twelver Shīʿī Islam","authors":"Reyhan ERDOĞDU BAŞARAN","doi":"10.12730/is.1266576","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1266576","url":null,"abstract":"Encounters with the Hidden Imam in Early and Pre-Modern Twelver Shīʿī Islam by Omid Ghaemmaghami is aimed to analyze the accounts addressing the possibility of seeing, recognizing, or coming into contact with the Hidden Imam during the ghaybah [occultation]. The central belief of the Imāmī Shīʿīs is that the son of Ḥasan al-ʿAskarī, the twelfth and final Imam disappeared in 260/874 and has since been shrouded in concealment. This process of ghaybah includes the two periods of Minor Occultation (al-ghaybah al-ṣughrá) and Major Occultation (al-ghaybah al-kubrá). Imāmī traditional data reveal it to be possible for the Hidden Imam to be seen, recognized, or encountered during the first occultation period beginning with the death of the eleventh imām, Ḥasan al-ʿAskarī, and concluding with the death of Alī ibn Muḥammad al-Samurī (d. 329/941), the fourth and the final emissary (safīr) of the Hidden Imām. When the early and premodern Imāmī literature is thoroughly examined, the question of contact with the Hidden Imām during the second ghaybah yet appears to be puzzling. In this book, Ghaemmaghami emphasizes the absence of narratives in the early Shīʿī authoritative texts that would have evidenced one’s communication with the Hidden Imām during the Major Occultation.","PeriodicalId":40354,"journal":{"name":"Ilahiyat Studies-A Journal on Islamic and Religious Studies","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91183895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Freedom as an Issue in the Context of Transhumanism and Artificial Intelligence, Digitalization, and Robotics (AIDR)","authors":"A. Dağ","doi":"10.12730/is.1261876","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1261876","url":null,"abstract":"Historically, the notion that knowledge and technology enhance human freedom has been accepted since the Renaissance. In fact, it cannot be ignored that “freedom” developed during the Renaissance, Enlightenment, industrialization, and technologicalization processes. While the development of the boundaries of the concept of freedom has increased with artificial intelligence, digitalization, and robotics (AIDR), this development has also created the problem of the violation of personal rights such as “privacy,” “confidentiality,” and “security,” which are the most essential concepts of humans and society. When the “Metaverse,” i.e., the “Web 3.0” process, is added to this phenomenon, the concept of freedom will develop more with the transcendence of time and space. Still, violations of personal rights, increased opportunities to commit crimes, and additional types of crimes will appear. The further development and increased visibility of AIDR require the ancient issue of freedom to be reconsidered in the context of “freedom and responsibility.”\u0000Transhumanism is one of the 21st century’s most influential scientific and philosophical movements, and its goals will make the issue of freedom more important. Transhumanism, first used as a concept in 1957 in the context of the physical and cognitive development of human beings, suggests that natural human limits can be overcome with the possibilities of biotechnology, nanotechnology, cyber-technology, and cognitive sciences. Research in areas such as delaying aging, eugenics debates and discourses legitimizing eugenics, the claim that immortality can be achieved, the development of the mind with the possibilities of nanotechnology, the brain-machine interface (BMI), the development of the body with biotechnological elements and similar studies aim to realize the biological freedom of human beings. This potential biological freedom may yield a result inversely proportional to social freedom. This is because differences between individuals will create a situation of “superiority” that will lead to differences between individuals and classes and thus to inequality. This situation can foster slave-master processes. This process may occur not only between people but also between humans and AI and robotic applications. In addition, AIDR itself, its producer, and its user will differentiate the processes of freedom. In particular, whether transhumanist people are forced to use healing technologies or whether they develop and adapt their own bodies and minds as a result of their own choice or as a result of coercion are other matters of debate in the context of the issue of freedom. This study discusses freedom, an essential issue for humanity, in the context of AIDR processes and transhumanism, which includes these processes.","PeriodicalId":40354,"journal":{"name":"Ilahiyat Studies-A Journal on Islamic and Religious Studies","volume":"54 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83176879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multidimensional Relations Between Sultan Abdulhamid II and Pope Leo XIII and the Reflections of These Relations in the Ottoman and Rome","authors":"Ahmet Türkan","doi":"10.12730/is.1226073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1226073","url":null,"abstract":"The last quarter of the 19th century was a period of good relations between Rome and Istanbul. There was the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876-1909) on the one side and the Roman Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) on the other. Many Catholics living in the Ottoman Empire were an important factor in their cooperation. It is seen that the correspondence between Pope and Sultan intensified during this period. Both parties were not indifferent to each other's important days and there were mutual gifts. In this study, it has predominantly referenced the Ottoman Archive Documents and news from Istanbul and the European press at that time, in addition to the basic sources. Methodologically, it has hase been used the descriptive and comparative approach extensively.","PeriodicalId":40354,"journal":{"name":"Ilahiyat Studies-A Journal on Islamic and Religious Studies","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76266259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"El-Khaḍir/El-Khiḍr: Le Prophète-Sage dans la Tradition Musulmane by Irfan Omar (Casablanca: A. Retani Éditions La Croisée des Chemins, 2021), 202 pp., ISBN: 9789920769860, 18.00 €","authors":"Michael Calabri̇a","doi":"10.12730/is.1296441","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1296441","url":null,"abstract":"First Paragraph: In November 1654, the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Mu’in al-Din Chishti in the city of Ajmer as was a common practice for the members of his dynasty. The journey is captured in a painting from his royal chronicle, The Padshahnama. As the emperor crosses a stream on the outskirts of the city, he encounters a mysterious figure standing on the surface of the water, clad in an emerald robe and turban, and offering a globe to the emperor. Although unnamed in the painting, this figure has been identified as al-Khiḍir (also rendered as al-Khaḍir and Khizr), literally “the Green One,” the traditional name given to Mūsā’s (Moses’) mysterious guide mentioned in the Qur’an (al-Kahf 18.60-82 ff.) and the subject of Irfan Omar’s welcome study of this important figure in Islam.","PeriodicalId":40354,"journal":{"name":"Ilahiyat Studies-A Journal on Islamic and Religious Studies","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75136778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}