Plantinga and Al-Ghazali; Compatibility of Science and Religious Beliefs

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
1 Department of Theology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Shahid Satari University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Theology, Faculty of Theology, Imam Ali University, Tehran, Iran
3 Department of Philosophy, Wisdom and Logic, Faculty of Humanities, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Atheists often believe that modern science supports their viewpoint. Some claim that the metaphysical basis of contemporary science leaves no room for religious beliefs, asserting a fundamental incompatibility between science and theism. However, some philosophers argue that this claim is misguided and that there are compelling reasons to see a profound compatibility between theism and science. In this paper, we will demonstrate, based on Alvin Plantinga's epistemology on one hand and Al-Ghazali's hermeneutic theory on the other, that not only is there no serious conflict between science and theistic beliefs, but we can also view them as interdependent.

Keywords


  1. The Qur'an
    Al-Ghazali, Abu Hamid (1904). al-Mustasfâ min ‘ilm al-usûl, 2 vols. Bûlâq: al-Matba’a al-Amîriyya.
    Al-Ghazali (1993). Qanun al-Ta'wil, Beirut: Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah.
    Al-Ghazali, Abu Hamid (2002). Faysal al-tafriqa bayna l-Islâm wa-l-zandaqa, Dâr Ihyâ al-Kotob al-‘Arabîyya.
    Fārābī, Abū Naṣr (1985). Perfect State, al-Farabi on the Perfect State (Mabādiʼ ārāʼ ahl al-madīnat al-fāḍilah), Richard Walzer (ed./trans.), Oxford: Clarendon Press.
    Helm, Paul (1998). "John Calvin, the Sensus Divinitatis, and the noetic effects of sin". International Journal for Philosophy of Religion. 43 (2): 87–107. doi:10.1023/A:1003174629151.
    Hoseini Shahroodi, S. M. and Mashhadi, T. (2011). Rational Interpretation of Religion From the Perspective of Tabatabai and Ghazali. Comparative Theology, 2(6), 1-18.
    McGinnis, Jon and Rahim Acar, "Arabic and Islamic Philosophy of Religion", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2023 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2023/entries/arabic-islamic-religion/>.
    Nagel, Thomas (2023). Analytic philosophy and human life. New York, NY, United States of America: Oxford University Press.
    Plantinga, Alvin (1993). Warrant and Proper Function, Oxford: Mord University Press.
    Plantinga, Alvin (1996). "Science: Augustinian or Duhemian?", Faith and Philosophy 13 (3):368-394.
    Plantinga, Alvin (2000). Warranted Christian Belief Oxford: Mord University Press.
    Plantinga, Alvin (2011). Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism, New York, NY, United States of America: Oxford University Press.
    Stroumsa, Sarah (1999). Freethinkers of Medieval Islam: Ibn al-Rawāndī, Abū Bakr al-Rāzī, and Their Impact on Islamic Thought, Leiden: Brill.
  2. Al-Ghazali AH (1904). AL-MUSTASFÂ MIN 'ILM AL-USÛL. Boulaq: AL-MATBA'A AL-AMÎRIYYA. [Arabic] [Link]
  3. Al-Ghazali AH (1993). QANUN AL-TA'WIL. Beirut: DAR AL-KOTOB AL-ILMIYAH. [Arabic] [Link]
  4. Al-Ghazali AH (2002). FAYSAL AL-TAFRIQA BAYNA L-ISLÂM WA-L-ZANDAQA. Cairo: DÂR IHYÂ AL-KOTOB AL-'ARABÎYYA. [Arabic] [Link]
  5. Farabi AN (1985). Al-Farabi on the perfect state (MABĀDIʼ ĀRĀʼ AHL AL-MADĪNAT AL-FĀḌILAH). Walzer R, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Link]
  6. Helm P (1998). John Calvin, the sensus divinitatis, and the noetic effects of sin. International Journal for Philosophy of Religion. 43(2):87-107. [Link]
  7. Hoseini Shahroodi SM, Mashhadi T (2011). Rational interpretation of religion from the perspective of Tabatabai and Ghazali. Comparative Theology. 2(6):1-18. [Persian] [Link]
  8. McGinnis J, Acar R (2023). Arabic and Islamic philosophy of religion. Zalta EN, Nodelman U, editors. Stanford: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. [Link]
  9. Nagel T (2023). Analytic philosophy and human life. New York: Oxford University Press. [Link] [DOI:10.1093/oso/9780197681671.001.0001]
  10. Plantinga A (1993). Warrant and proper function. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Link] [DOI:10.1093/0195078640.001.0001]
  11. Plantinga A (1996). Science: Augustinian or Duhemian?. Faith and Philosophy. 13(3):368-394. [Link] [DOI:10.5840/faithphil19961335]
  12. Plantinga A (2000). Warranted Christian belief. Oxford: Oxford University Press. [Link] [DOI:10.1093/0195131932.001.0001]
  13. Plantinga A (2011). Where the conflict really lies: Science, religion, and naturalism. New York: Oxford University Press. [Link] [DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199812097.001.0001]
  14. Stroumsa S (1999). Freethinkers of medieval Islam: Ibn al-Rawāndī, Abū Bakr al-Rāzī, and their impact on Islamic thought. Leiden: Brill. [Link] [DOI:10.1163/9789004452848]