Reason, Freedom, and Democracy in Islam: Essential Writings of Abdolkarim SoroushAbdolkarim Soroush has emerged as one of the leading moderate revisionist thinkers of the Muslim world. He and his contemporaries in other Muslim countries are shaping what may become Islam's equivalent of the Christian Reformation: a period of questioning traditional practices and beliefs and, ultimately, of upheaval. Presenting eleven of his essays, this volume makes Soroush's thought readily available in English for the first time. The essays set forth his views on such matters as the freedom of Muslims to interpret the Qur'an, the inevitability of change in religion, the necessity of freedom of belief, and the compatibility of Islam and democracy. Throughout, Soroush emphasizes the rights of individuals in their relationship with both government and God, explaining that the ideal Islamic state can only be defined by the beliefs and will of the majority. |
Contents
An Interview | 3 |
Theological Approaches | 26 |
The Relationship between Socioeconomic Development and Ethics | 39 |
4 The Sense and Essence of Secularism | 54 |
5 Doctrine and Justification | 69 |
6 Reason and Freedom | 88 |
7 The Ethics of the Gods | 105 |
8 The Idea of Democratic Religious Government | 122 |
A Discourse on Religion and Democracy | 131 |
10 The Three Cultures | 156 |
11 What the University Expects from the Hawzeh | 171 |
12 Let Us Learn from History | 184 |
Notes | 199 |
| 227 | |
| 230 | |
Other editions - View all
Reason, Freedom, and Democracy in Islam:Essential Writings of Abdolkarim ... Abdolkarim Soroush,Mahmoud Sadri No preview available - 2000 |
Common terms and phrases
accept allowed argue arguments attempt become belief causes claim concept concerning consider course criticism culture debate democracy democratic desire discussion divine doctrine duties essence establish ethics event evil example existence faith force freedom God's hand Hawzeh hearts human human rights ideas identity ideology individual institution intellectual interpretation Iran Iranian Islamic issue justice kind knowledge language latter learning liberal Marxism means method mind moral Moslems nature never one's original path Persian philosophy political position possible practical principles problems prophets question Qur'an rational realization reason relationship reli religion religious religious knowledge remain requires respect result rules Rumi scientific secular sense social society Soroush theory thing thinkers thought tion traditional true truth turn understanding values verse vice virtues Western
Bibliographic information
| Title | Reason, Freedom, and Democracy in Islam: Essential Writings of Abdolkarim Soroush |
| Author | Abdolkarim Soroush |
| Translated by | Mahmoud Sadri, Ahmad Sadri |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, 2000 |
| ISBN | 0195351916, 9780195351910 |
| Length | 254 pages |
| Subjects | › › Political Science / International Relations / General Religion / Islam / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |