PHILOSOPHY PATHWAYS Issue 214

I.'Evidence of the Early Conceptions of Natural Law and Tabula Rasa in the Islamic World: the Case of Theodore Abu Qurrah and Ibn al-Nafis' by Jaan S. Islam

II. 'Moral Philosophy and Ordinary Life: Some Naturalistic Considerations' by Jalal Peykani and Ziba Hashemi

It is often thought that the modern world is at a point of moral uncertainty. Religion has failed us for hundreds of years, and schools of moral philosophies have been battling until today with no foreseeable conclusion in sight. This issue offers several different perspectives on this situation and makes an argument for or against the scenario described [...]

I. 'EVIDENCE OF THE EARLY CONCEPTIONS OF NATURAL LAW AND TABULA RASA IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD: THE CASE OF THEODORE ABU QURRAH AND IBN AL-NAFIS' BY JAAN S. ISLAM

The study of philosophy commonly ignores the theological and Eastern influences of Western philosophy. In the Islamic golden age (900-1300 CE), a number of major religious polemics and philosophical advances were made. Whereas some works directly influenced the Enlightenment era, others, such as the ones discussed in this paper, indirectly contributed to the development of knowledge in the Islamic and Western worlds. The two texts analyzed in this paper are representative polemics -- respectively Muslim and Christian works-that advocate for the use of rational inquiry to arrive at the concept of absolute truth [...]

II. 'MORAL PHILOSOPHY AND ORDINARY LIFE: SOME NATURALISTIC CONSIDERATIONS' BY JALAL PEYKANI AND ZIBA HASHEMI

It seems that contemporary moral philosophy is an a priori enterprise and therefore human moral capacities, ordinary life, and humans' expectations of ethics have no central role. The assumptions and presuppositions of ethics result in their current unsatisfactory status. In this paper, we first explore and criticize those presuppositions. Then, instead of introducing ideal presuppositions of ethics, we analyze folk ethics and explore its components in order to show the gap between contemporary moral philosophy and folk ethics [...]

Liberalism accords primacy to liberty and Ronald Dworkin, the contemporary liberalist, offers us fresh insights into the arguments for equality (that is based on the principles of ethical individualism). His liberal equality merges the traditional liberal ideas of individual liberty and autonomy with that of equal life prospects for all. Dworkin aims at removing discrimination against the disadvantaged sections and helping them lead decent lives. His prominent goal seems to be construing the basic principle of these rights. This paper attempts to analyse Dworkin's grounding principle [...]

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