Philosophical Thought

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

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

J. Zarvandi 1
A. Lezgi 2
K. Farsian 3

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

https://doi.org/10.58209/jpt.5.1.109
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

Science
religion
Reformed Epistemology
Warrant Theory
Plantinga
Al-Ghazali
Subjects
- Al-Ghazali AH (1904). AL-MUSTASFÂ MIN ‘ILM AL-USÛL. Boulaq: AL-MATBA’A AL-AMÎRIYYA. [Arabic]
- Al-Ghazali AH (1993). QANUN AL-TA'WIL. Beirut: DAR AL-KOTOB AL-ILMIYAH. [Arabic]
- Al-Ghazali AH (2002). FAYSAL AL-TAFRIQA BAYNA L-ISLÂM WA-L-ZANDAQA. Cairo: DÂR IHYÂ AL-KOTOB AL-‘ARABÎYYA. [Arabic]
- Farabi AN (1985). Al-Farabi on the perfect state (MABĀDIʼ ĀRĀʼ AHL AL-MADĪNAT ALFĀḌILAH). Walzer R, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Helm P (1998). John Calvin, the sensus divinitatis, and the noetic effects of sin. International Journal for Philosophy of Religion. 43(2):87-107. 
- Hoseini Shahroodi SM, Mashhadi T (2011). Rational interpretation of religion from the perspective of Tabatabai and Ghazali. Comparative Theology. 2(6):1-18. [Persian]
- McGinnis J, Acar R (2023). Arabic and Islamic philosophy of religion. Zalta EN, Nodelman U, editors. Stanford: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
- Nagel T (2023). Analytic philosophy and human life. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Plantinga A (1993). Warrant and proper function. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Plantinga A (1996). Science: Augustinian or Duhemian?. Faith and Philosophy. 13(3):368-394.
- Plantinga A (2000). Warranted Christian belief. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Plantinga A (2011). Where the conflict really lies: Science, religion, and naturalism. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Stroumsa S (1999). Freethinkers of medieval Islam: Ibn al-Rawāndī, Abū Bakr al-Rāzī, and their impact on Islamic thought. Leiden: Brill.
Philosophical Thought
Volume 5, Issue 1 - Serial Number 17
Winter 2025
Winter 2025
Pages 109-120

  • Receive Date 28 January 2025
  • Accept Date 08 March 2025
  • Publish Date 15 March 2025