Islamic Studies 39:4 (2000) pp. 693–707
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Conferences, Seminars, Workshops
God, Life and Cosmos: Theistic Perspectives
International Conference, November 6-9, 2000, Islamabad, Pakistan
ELMA RUTH HARDER
The call to prayer rolled over Islamabad at 5: 07am on November 6: Prayer is
better than sleep... Dawn came slowly, as light penetrated the night and mists
enveloping the Margalla Hills lifted. Pakistan’s federal capital, nestled at the
foot of the Margalla Hills at the southern most tip of the Himalayas, was a
comfortable and picturesque setting for the International Conference on God,
Life and Cosmos: Theistic Perspectives.
The four-day conference was a joint venture of the Center for Theology
and Natural Sciences, Berkeley, California, the International Institute of
Islamic Thought and the Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic
University, Islamabad. It was held at the Best Western Hotel, Islamabad,
Pakistan on November 6-9, 2000.
Twenty-five scholars came from abroad, from 10 different countries. In
addition, Pakistani participants attended as observers. In total, 70 participants
registered, 16 of these presented papers, 7 panelists came prepared to respond
to papers, and there were about 47 observers from Pakistan.
Inaugural Session
The conference was formally inaugurated in the prestigious auditorium of the
Pakistan National Library. Dr Muzaffar Iqbal, Regional Director for the
Muslim World, CTNS, Berkeley, welcomed everyone and pointed out the
uniqueness of the themes of the conference. He said that this was the first
international conference to explore the relationship between Islam and
contemporary science in the context of modern research. He mentioned that
the two earlier conferences held in Islamabad in 1983 and 1995 focused on
Muslim contributions to science rather than engaged in a contemporary
discourse on Islam and science. Another unique feature of the conference was
the presence of Christian scholars who would share their insights into science-
© Dr Muhammad Hamidullah Library, IIU, Islamabad.
http://iri.iiu.edu.pk/
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religion dialogue with their Muslim colleagues, thus opening the way for a
serious scholarly engagement between the two traditions.
The keynote address by Professor William C. Chittick was entitled,
“Modern Science and Eclipse of Taw ╒┘d”. Professor Chittick drew upon the
Islamic tradition to suggest that in the Islamic tradition of learning, seekers of
knowledge were trying to train their minds and polish their hearts so that they
could understand everything that can properly be understood by the human
mind. The purpose of the intellectual quest was not to gather information
or what we call “facts.” It was not to contribute to the “progress of science,” as
it is understood in the modern context, much less to build up a “data base.”
Rather, its purpose was to refine human understanding. Each seeker of
knowledge was expected to find knowledge for him or her self and was
expected to know his or her subject with first-hand, unmediated knowledge. If
the seeker accepted the word of a teacher or a book instead of realizing the
truth for himself, he was an imitator. Imitation cannot provide intellectual
knowledge, only transmitted knowledge. He said that, generally speaking,
four major areas were considered the proper domains of ta╒q┘q. These can be
called metaphysics, cosmology, psychology, and ethics *.
Dr. ╓asan al-Sh┐fi‘┘, President of the International Islamic University in
Islamabad, welcomed the participants to Islamabad and, in his brief address,
stressed the need of placing the contemporary discourse on Islam and science
within the tradition of Islamic scientific thought.
After the inaugural session, the conference participants returned to the
Best Western Hotel where “The Faces and Fabric of Pakistan” was presented
by Basit Iqbal, Noor Iqbal and Elma Harder. This served as a brief orientation
to Pakistan, especially for those participants who were in Pakistan for the first
time.
Plenary Sessions
Plenary sessions began early on November 7 with a moment of silence, in
solidarity with the people of Palestine. Dr Muzaffar Iqbal chaired the first
session. In his opening remarks, he read a statement from Dr Ted Peters,
Program Director at the CTNS, who, along with three other Christian
colleagues who had planned to participate, could not be at the conference. He
thanked the John Templeton Foundation for its generous financial support for
the Conference. He said that without this funding, it would have been
impossible to hold the Conference. He also thanked the International Institute
*
The complete text of the keynote address is available at the conference website:
http://www.kalam.org
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of Islamic Thought, the Islamic Research Institute and its Director General for
the excellent arrangements they had made to host the Conference.
Thereafter, for the next three days, the group of scholars was
conceptually engaged in the intricacies of the relationship between religious
thought and science. How does modern science work in its cultural and
historical matrix? How does contemporary research redefine our religious
notions? The questions were complex and multi-faceted; the answers were
challenging, and generally led to further questions. Each presenter had 45
minutes to elucidate the main points and position of his or her paper, followed
by discussion. Formal responses to papers, followed by more discussion,
provided opportunity for the group of scholars to further explore the ideas.
After the academic sessions, the Conference continued in high gear
throughout the hallways and cafeteria of the hotel. Over dinner, coffee and
tea, new friendships were established, ideas were discussed and information
was exchanged. The hotel was filled with intellectual energy, fraternity and,
over-all, a unique event unfolded.
Over several lunch meetings, a group of twelve scholars met to discuss the
need and parameters of a new journal for science and Islam. There was
considerable discussion on the title of the journal and the standards it should
set and maintain. Plans and preparation for this new journal will continue.
Concluding Session
Islamabad Conference concluded on November 9 with a session jointly
chaired by Dr Zafar Ishaq Ansari, Director General of the Islamic Research
Institute, International Islamic University, Islamabad and Dr Muzaffar Iqbal.
Dr Ansari reflected that the conference was uniquely successful and
stimulating. He said: “Let religion take its own position. In our world, that
changes from day to day, we cannot be oblivious to all calls for responses from
people who care. Neither is religion a monolith, nor is science a monolith.
There is great scope and need for shared attitudes, for diversity and
innovation. Until now, this discourse has been limited to a small number of
people, but now it has moved onto a broader scale. The problem of
relationship between religion and science is a problem shared by each religious
worldview.”
Dr Iqbal said that this had been a unique conference in many respects. It
was the first time that three generations of Muslim scholars participated in a
conference like this one. He appreciated the fact that over the last three days,
there have been many informal discussions and many new relationships have
been established. He said that the theistic worldviews are an important aspect
of the current Science-Religion discourse. He hoped that there would soon be
a university in the Muslim world where a course on science and religion will
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be offered on regular basis. He mentioned the listserver Kalam
[www.Kalam.org] as an important vehicle for communication in the discourse
on science and Islam. He appreciated the CTNS course award programme that
provides a good opportunity to open windows in the discourse on science and
religion, and he encouraged conference participants to design courses,
individually or in collaboration with other scholars.
Thereafter many participants expressed comments of gratitude and
appreciation. With their handy new conference bags stuffed full of conference
papers and publications, everyone prepared to go. Compliments of Dr Ansari,
the many new books and publications of IIIT and IRI added at least 20kg to
each person’s luggage.
Post Conference Cultural Tour
A cultural tour was arranged for those whose flights were scheduled to leave
after November 9, 2000. Tours were arranged to archaeological sites at Taxila,
places of interest in Islamabad, and cultural and historical sites in Lahore.
Post-Conference Comments
The Islamabad conference deserves to be a success story for a number of
reasons. Perhaps the most unique aspect of the conference was the diversity of
the participants. Professional scientists, doctors, physicists, cosmologists,
philosophers, theologians, historians, engineers and many other people of
different backgrounds came together and held discussions at a remarkably high
level of scholarly debate and analysis. The size of the conference was, I
believe, just about right. The perennial problem of big conferences is that
there is very little time for full presentation, let alone any time allotted
for discussion and exchange of ideas. All of the participants had ample time
to present their works and have discussions, which were pleasantly spirited at
times. I should mention the extremely successful organization of the
conference, which makes it an event to be remembered for a long time.
IBRAHIM KALIN,
George Washington University
I’ve worked for lots of foreigners and VIPs at their meetings, but this
conference had the best people. They were gentle and kind people.
EJAZ SATTI,
IRI conference driver
A notable feature of the Islamabad Conference was efficiency in
communication that contributed to the calibre of presentations and the
discussions that followed. All the papers were made available on the web, as
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were the amendments and corrections that some paper writers made in the
process. This was important for a conference such as this, which involved a
degree of complexity in its multi-disciplinary approach to issues of science,
philosophy and religion. Dr Muzaffar was also prompt in responding to the
many letters and messages I needed to communicate with him concerning my
own paper. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a hard copy of the conference
papers in Islamabad, despite the earlier message that no hard copies would be
distributed at the conference.
MOHAMMAD HASHIM KAMALI,
International Islamic University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
I can hardly conceive of addressing a gathering of people as distinguished at
this. It has been an honour for me and my colleagues to be your hosts.
ZAFAR ISHAQ ANSARI,
Director General, IRI, Islamabad
This Conference has attracted three generations of Muslim scholars, which
makes it a unique event in the current history of discourse on Islam and
Science.
MUZAFFAR IQBAL,
CTNS
Science and learning have clearly reached an incredible fever pitch. But what is
really astonishing is not the ready availability of an enormous amount of
information. Rather, what is totally mind-boggling is the fact that people have
no idea that all this information and learning is useless. It is completely
irrelevant to the purpose of human life. Their understanding of their real
situation has decreased in inverse proportion to the amount of information
that they gather. The more “facts” people know, the less they understand
about themselves and the world around them.
╓AYY IBN YAQAþ└N, the celebrated character of Ibn ║ufayl’s book, whom
Dr Chittick brought to life in his conference inaugural address.
Papers Presented at the Conference*
MUSTANSIR MIR
Christian Perspectives on Religion and Science and Their Significance
for Modern Muslim Thought
*
The complete text of all papers is available at: http://www.kalam.org
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ROSHDI RASHED
Metaphysics and Mathematics in Classical Islamic Culture:
Avicenna and His Successors
SYED NOMANUL HAQ
Moments in the Islamic Recasting of the Greek Legacy:
Exploring the Question of Science and Theism
AHMAD DALLAL
Islamic Paradigms for the Relationship between Science and Religion
IBRAHIM KALIN
Three Views of Science: A Critical Evaluation with Particular Reference to the
Islamic World
WILLIAM C. CHITTICK
The Anthropocosmic Vision in Islamic Thought
MARK WORTHING
Christian Theism and the Idea of an Oscillating Universe
MEHDI GOLSHANI
Creation in the Islamic Outlook and in Modern Cosmology
BRUNO GUIDERDONI
The Exploration of the Cosmos: An Endless Quest?
HASHIM KAMALI
Causality and Divine Action: The Islamic Perspective
YAMINE BOUGUENAYA MERMER
The God of Revelation: The Ever-Present God
MUZAFFAR IQBAL
Biological Origins: Traditional and Contemporary Perspectives
AUDREY R. CHAPMAN
The Contributions and Limitations of Christian Perspectives on the Genetics
Revolution
AYUB K. OMMAYA
Human Consciousness, Evolution, Regeneration, Science & Religion
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EBRAHIM MOOSA
The Body in Muslim Ethics: The Dissonance of the Gaze(s)
NAUMANA AMJAD
Consciousness: Revealed Wisdom and Human Investigation
Presentations at the Conference
MUSTANSIR MIR
Center for Islamic Studies, Youngstown State University, Ohio, USA
“Christian Perspectives on Religion and Science and their Significance for
Modern Muslim Thought”
Dr Mustansir Mir opened the conference with his question, “Why do Muslims
have to know what Christians have to say?” Dr Mir said that there is no such
thing as great thought in abstract, that all great thought is in response to
existing thought. The Muslim world is missing a movement of knowledge, and
he candidly remarked that the Muslim world has a tendency to import science,
then perform some ritual to Islamize it, and then calls it Islamic. There is a
need to study everything and have independent confrontation at all levels.
There is a definite need for Muslims to engage with science—with both
scientific method and the scientific worldview—in order to, first, determine
the role of science in modern Islamic society; second, establish principles for
the conduct of scientific activity in society; and, third, relate science to
society’s other, non-scientific activities. But important questions cannot be
properly treated until there comes into existence, in the Muslim world, an
academic culture that recognizes their importance and is determined to do
what it takes to deal with them. And such a culture will not come into being
until we train a large number of young minds in religion and theology on the
one hand, and in science and scientific method on the other, and then give
them the freedom and support they need to chart a bold course through a
challenging terrain.
ROSHDI RASHED
University of Paris, Paris, France
“Metaphysics and Mathematics in Classical Islamic Culture: Avicenna and His
Successors”
Dr Rashed said there is no a priori determination of the rapports between
mathematics and theoretical philosophy, but it is reason for raising the
question and to refer to the writings of the philosophers and mathematicians
in an attempt to throw light on these rapports. He said research has
demonstrated the richness, hitherto unsuspected, of the philosophy of
mathematics in classical Islam, that of mathematicians like al-Sijz ┘, Ibn S┘n┐,
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Ibn al-Haytham and that of the philosophers like al-Kind ┘, al-F┐r┐b┘, and Ibn
S┘n┐.
It is not obligatory that philosophy should play a role in the development
of mathematics and science. Mathematics played an effective role in
philosophy but the role of philosophy in the progress of this branch of
mathematics is no less effective. He said that as historians of the sciences, we
cannot turn our backs on the history of philosophy; but, as historians of
Islamic philosophy, it would be fatal for us to ignore the role of the new
learning. The heritage of belated antiquity under the colour of Islam is bound
to be of interest to the historian of philosophy as well as the historian of
science.
SYED NOMANUL HAQ
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
“Moments in the Islamic Recasting of the Greek Legacy: Exploring the
Question of Science and Theism”
Dr Haq began with a tragic thought, saying that currently we think that by
building labs we can do science, and by teaching technology, we do science.
However, a thing’s nature does not come from its own existence, and
everything other than God is contingent upon God for existence. He went on
to say that there is no history without philosophy, and no philosophy with
history.
The metaphysical and cosmological framework of Arabic science arose
out of a process of a unique Islamic appropriation of the Greek legacy. The
scientists of Islam, a large number of whom were also philosophers in the
sense of philosophy proper, fundamentally transformed the legacy to the
extent that it transcended itself. He said that the growth of science from the
European Middle Ages down to what we call the Scientific Revolution cannot
be explained if the history of these fateful transformations is absent from our
perspective. He presented the case of Ab ┴ ‘Al┘ ibn S┘n┐, (d. 1037) as a typical
but outstanding and enduring Hellenized personage and the exceptional case
of Ab┴ Bakr al-R┐z┘ (the Rhazes of the Latin West, d. ca. 925), who in many
ways is closer to Descartes and Newton than his Greek predecessors, and
whose direct influence on European thought bears both historical and
philosophical support.
AHMAD DALLAL
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
“Islamic Paradigms for the Relationship between Science and Religion”.
Dr Dallal said that Muslim societies are by and large consumers of modern
science, as opposed to producers of science. There is no consensus on what is
Islamic science, nor a uniform Islamic attitude to science. People who do
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cultural science and who are not fluent in pure science disciplines produce
most scholarly work done on the history of science.
He said that the study of the relationship between science and religion in
Islam must examine both the cultural environment, and the interaction among
different cultural dynamics at work. Evidence suggests that scientific activity
was integrated with, rather than marginal to, mainstream intellectual life in
Muslim societies. Dr Dallal compared different ways in which Muslim
astronomers handled the Greek astronomical legacy, reassessed its cultural and
philosophical implications, and proposed to modify it. He said there was a
marked distinction between two trends of astronomical reform: the first -mostly belonging to the Eastern part of the Muslim world — gave priority to
mathematical considerations. The second trend — mostly belonging to the
Western part of the Muslim world — was backward looking, and gave priority
to philosophical considerations. The two schools were distinct in the way they
conceived the connection between science and philosophy, which in turn,
produced different views regarding the relationship between science and
religion as related religious discourse about astronomy.
MEHDI GOLSHANI
Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran
“Creation in the Islamic Outlook and in Modern Cosmology”
Dr Golshani said that the confusion about the problem of creation, especially
among modern cosmologists, is the result of their lack of philosophical
understanding. He summarized some of the misunderstandings prevalent
among modern cosmologists. He said that scientific cosmology is a
mathematical system, and we cannot expect it to answer all of our
cosmological questions. Serious conceptual problems of quantum mechanics
plus the inability of physicists to give a coherent formulation of quantum
gravity plus the existence of Gödel’s theorem make it necessary to avoid any
conclusive claims about the origin of the universe. Though some physicists
believe that science will finally settle this problem by itself, Dr Golshani said:
“I do not believe that science alone can ever settle the problem of the absolute
beginning of the universe. I recommend the following strategy: we should
explore our universe by science, as much as we can, but we must avoid making
claims about the absolute origination of the universe on physical grounds.
Philosophy and theology can save us from making unsound exaggerated
scientific claims, and can give us a proper metaphysical framework for our
science and a ground for our being. In this framework, the description of the
physical aspects of the universe is left for scientific investigation, but the
ultimate explanation of the universe is provided by God”.
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BRUNO GUIDERDONI
Centre for Astrophysics, Paris, France
“The Exploration of the Cosmos: An Endless Quest?”
Dr Guiderdoni said it is difficult to philosophically define the conditions for a
theory to be true, probably true, wrong, or probably wrong, even if we can
keep — and we should keep — the every-day definitions of truth and falsehood
for practical purposes and convenience in our exchanges. But what we can
define with great accuracy is the method which leads to the development of
scientific knowledge. The philosophical “truth” of science lies in the
fruitfulness of its method. So cosmology, as well as the other sciences, is
mainly an open process.
The articulation of science and religion cannot be found in a struggle for a
new science founded on religion, or in a mere concordism, but in a
metaphysical convergence of the different routes to knowledge. According to
Islamic mysticism, the cosmos is one of the loci of God’s self-disclosure, and
new phenomena are continuously put into existence. Gratefulness, fear and
perplexity are three modes of the fundamental bewilderment that is produced
by the contemplation of the cosmos. This bewilderment is a way of
worshipping God. Such an attitude should lead scientists to an increasing sense
of responsibility in the technological applications of modern science.
WILLIAM C. CHITTICK
State University of New York, USA
“The Anthropocosmic Vision in Islamic Thought”
For Muslim scholars, the fundamental principle of cosmology was that human
intelligence is a universal, ahistorical reality that has the capacity to know all
things as they are in themselves. Dr Chittick said that the “anthropocosmic”
vision of the cosmologists allowed for no separation between the anthropos
that knows and the cosmos that is known, because the self and the cosmos
were seen as a single, two-sided reality.
The structure and goals of cosmology precluded losing the balance
between the inside and the outside, or the ontological link between knower
and known. It was never forgotten that only this balance allows for the
preservation of both our humanity and the health of the natural world. Nor
was it lost to sight that upsetting the balance leads to epistemological,
ecological, and social chaos. For the Islamic intellectual tradition, to forget the
reality of the knower allows knowledge to be employed as an instrument for
short-sighted and illusory ends, and to forget the reality of the known allows
the world to be turned into an object to be manipulated for every goal cut off
from true human nature.
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MARK WORTHING
Luther Seminary, North Adelaide, Australia
“Christian Theism and the Idea of an Oscillating Universe”
Dr Worthing examined the very ancient idea of an oscillating or cyclic
universe and some of the recent attempts within modern scientific cosmology
that attempt to resurrect such a model. He specifically examined Christian
responses to this model and the difficulties it posed to a traditional linear way
of thinking in the West. He then went on to contrast this with the thought of
the ancient Eastern Orthodox Church writer Origen and with the Muslim
tradition.
The Islamic intellectual tradition, Dr Worthing said, appears conceptually
much more open to the possibility of a cyclic universe. Though the case of an
oscillating universe is not currently in vogue among scientific cosmologists, it
provides an intriguing comparison of Christian and Muslim approaches to
cosmology which highlights the different ways the two traditions
conceptualise reality.
MUZAFFAR IQBAL
Center for Theology and Natural Sciences, Alberta, Canada
“Biological Origins: Traditional and Contemporary Perspectives”
Dr Iqbal said that the questions of biological origin have been made difficult to
ponder because of the confusion of terminology, the profound personal nature
of the subject matter and “the historical myopia” with which they are viewed.
He traced the historic rise of Darwinism, explored responses to Darwinism in
the Catholic as well as the Protestant faiths, examined the scientific data on
which the case for and against Darwinism rests and mentioned those links
between biological and cosmic origins that are integral to an understanding of
the biological origins. He surveyed the intellectual atmosphere of the 19th
century of the Muslim world and the scientific and religious responses to
Darwinism.
In his presentation, Dr Iqbal gave a detailed analysis of Christian
responses to certain current theories of biological origins which go back to the
nineteenth century theory of evolution, reconstructed the historical
foundations of the current scientific theories of biological origins and
then focused on his main thesis: the question of biological origins from a
traditional
point
of
view.
He
maintained
that
the
question of Origin cannot be decided on the basis of biological sciences
because, in its essence, it is a metaphysical question, intimately bound with
cosmology. Dr Iqbal defended his thesis by examining the limits of
scientific data on biological origins within the epistemology of scientific
investigation.
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IBRAHIM KALIN
George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USA
“Three Views of Science in the Islamic World”
Ibrahim Kalin began by saying that many people try to derive support for the
physical sciences from Qur’┐nic verses thus trying to find support for higher
principles from lower principles. There is a crisis of theories, no doubt, as is
apparent in the polarization of views of creation. He said that the
understanding of “how”, regardless of whatever the dimension of science, is a
metaphysical construct.
The philosophical agenda of the contemporary Islamic world displays
three main positions on science. (1) The ethical-puritanical view, which takes
science as essentially a value-free enterprise; (2) the epistemological position,
whose main focus is the truth-claim of natural sciences; and (3) the
metaphysical/ontological position, which incorporates many elements of the
two previous positions. Science as the study of natural phenomena is here
embedded in a weltanschauung that supplies science with a matrix within
which to operate, and can be religious or secular. Its most important claim lies
in its insistence on the analysis of the metaphysical and ontological
foundations of physical sciences.
AYUB K. OMMAYA
Center for Integrative Neuroscience, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
“Regeneration of Injured Nervous Systems and the Evolution of Human
Consciousness”
Dr Ommaya started his paper by saying that science without religion is lame
and religion without science is blind. The co-evolution of spirituality and
human consciousness enables humans to progress when these two are well
integrated. The word “regeneration” has dual significance; the sense of
regeneration means to be “formed anew”, “spiritually re-born” and “brought
again into existence”. The specific sense of regeneration in biomedical science
is to re-grow and replace tissues that have been lost, e.g. damage to the brain in
strokes and to the spinal cord causing paralysis.
Dr Ommaya maintained that the conquering of theory in the realm of
science and technology is data driven and that part of faith is entrusting God
with how things work out: “Man proposes and God disposes.” Religion is the
proper medicine for the soul which, being within the body, also requires the
applications of science.
MUHAMMAD HASHIM KAMALI
International Islamic University, Kuala Lumpur, currently in Berlin at the
Max Planck Institute, Berlin, Germany
“Causality and Divine Action: The Islamic Perspective”
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Dr Kamali defined cause as power, in the sense of it having the ability to
produce an effect. The sun, for example, has the power to make things grow
and to do all the other things it does. It is basically in this sense that God is
thought of as the cause of the world, and, accordingly, as a Being who is allpowerful. Christian and Muslim thinkers have both embraced this perception
of causation.
Man in Islam does not possess absolute free will that would enable him to
act outside the parameters of God’s will, nor is he free to act outside the
norms of causation. Man is also not a prisoner, in the meantime, to a
mechanism that prevents him from choosing his own path in life, nor is he a
slave, like an animal, to his instincts. Attribution of man’s volitional acts to
God is unwarranted. In all of the Qur’ ┐nic verses that are concerned with
God’s will, there is none which attributes man’s volitional acts to the divine
will.
YAMINE BOUGUENAYA MERMER
Istanbul, Turkey
“The God of Revelation: The Ever-Present God ”
Dr Mermer said that belief in material progress and perfection provided the
impetus that stimulated the expansion of western civilization. However,
modern civilization could not deliver on its promise: material wealth has only
managed to alienate man from himself, from society and from his
environment. The appeal of modern civilization is an illusion only to
disappoint once reality sets in, experienced as despair and anguish since its
benefits are insignificant and cannot answer the needs of man’s heart and
spirit, perceiving man and the world only in physical and carnal terms.
If causation were real there would be no means to substantiate the
veracity of the Qur’┐n. Imitative and blind belief would be inevitable. The
resulting situation would vindicate relativism. She said that many modern
Muslim thinkers have endorsed the perspective of superficial taw╒┘d without
realizing the contradictions intrinsic to it, attempting to reconcile causation
with taw╒┘d. However, there is no evidence that could induce such a claim,
empirically or logically. This reconciliation is therefore artificial, unfounded
and meaningless. Dr Mermer concluded by saying that following true religion
solves the contradictions of life. It releases modern, materialist-centred
humanity from the pains of transience and the darkness of meaninglessness. It
facilitates attainment of freedom and peace that are contained in the belief that
“There is no god but God”.
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AUDREY R. CHAPMAN
AAAS, Washington, D.C. USA
“The Contributions and Limitations of Christian Perspectives on the Genetics
Revolution”
Dr Chapman asked a question at the fore: “Why is God enabling us to reshape
nature?” She said the genetic revolution offers great opportunities to
humankind but warned of the danger of the commodification of the human
being and said we need to ensure the value of the human person. She claimed
that the most fruitful relationship between religion and science is a two-way
dialogue. She envisioned the dialogue as a dialectical process in which
theology, ethics, and science participate in a process of mutual learning and
transformation. All cross-disciplinary research, analysis, and efforts to dialogue
must cope with differences in methodological approaches, priorities, and
vocabularies in their distinctive fields. The science-religion divide is
particularly difficult to traverse.
It would considerably strengthen future ethical discernment on frontier
scientific issues to define religious concepts such as stewardship, human
dignity, and human identity, as well, She emphasized the importance of using
a methodology that promotes a two-way dialogue between science and religion
dialogue through which theology and ethics can be informed and even altered
by scientific concepts, information, and theories. This process can also
sensitize and expand the horizons of scientists to understand the ethical and
theological implications of their research and to respond accordingly. She
advocated the shaping of a prescriptive rather than a descriptive ethics. And
she said that newer concepts like commodification need to be understood in a
way that is relevant to scientific developments.
EBRAHIM MOOSA
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
“The Body in Muslim Ethics”
How do jurists, medical practitioners, and patients understand the terms:
death, life, harm, body, human dignity and healing? Dr Moosa said each
constituency harbours a different perspective, and often there are different
views co-existing within the same person, generated by different and divergent
forms of educational training, cultivation of world views and the respective
scientific and moral gazes with which these diverse constituencies view
realities. A patient or physician may fully understand a medical practice, and
yet may not be able to engage in such practices due to reservations arising out
of religious convictions.
Dr Moosa showed that contemporary Muslim legal practices in the realm
of bio-ethics employ pre-modern epistemes to address issues emanating from a
totally different epistemological perspective. He was sceptical whether there is
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a dialogue between scientific practices and the juridical legitimation or
prohibition of such practices as evidenced in the examples of organ
transplantation and brain death. He argued that instrumentalist reasoning
generally provides a semblance of engagement.
NAUMANA AMJAD
University of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan, presently at Warwick University,
England
“Consciousness: Revealed Wisdom and Human Investigation”
Ms Amjad surveyed the definitions and descriptions of the term consciousness,
and dealt with the exposition of religious or traditional concept of
consciousness.
Whatever we experience and know about world comes to us, she said,
from inside our brain. “There is no way we can be out there...the touched
object is already in that part of my cortex which processes tactile perception
before I know there is something to touch out there”. The question for
philosophy would be: do we perceive as qualities of matter what really belong
to mind? Sensations are projected by the mind, and perceived with qualities
which in reality do not belong to them, which in fact are purely the products
of the mind.
The cognitive process does not stop at representation, assimilation and
retention of outer reality but creates an inner world of meaning and expresses
these meanings in a uniform mode of language. How far is that a conscious
process? What kind of consciousness is self-awareness? She said that we deal
with a vast and complex domain and the task is no less complicated by the
inclusion of two poles — the rational scientific inquiry namely science and
revealed wisdom embodied in religious thought.
Respondents to Papers
Muhammad Saleem, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, USA
Muhammad Suheyl Umar, Iqbal Academy, Lahore, Pakistan
Nadeem Haq, Toronto, Canada
Nahyan Fancy, University of Notre Dame, Illinois, USA
A. Karim Ahmed, National Council for Science and Environment,
Washington, DC, USA
Mark Worthing, Luther Seminary, Australia
Muzaffar Iqbal, CTNS, Canada
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