scholarly journals Weberian Sociology and Portrait of Contemporary Sufism Studies

Teosofia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-170
Author(s):  
Abdul Kadir Riyadi
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Spiritual Dimension ◽  
Objective Study ◽  
Academic Debate

There is always a sense of desperation and pride when one speaks of Weberians sociology in the study of Islam. This paper is composed of that feeling dominating all along. Weber has been the major architect in modern sociology. But in his major works, Islam and only Islam among major world religions, has been left out. If he did pay attention to it, he did so with a sense of pessimism and apathy. But his little interest in Islam has nonetheless stimulated a lot of interest and sparked long debate. His so-called intellectual heirs continued his project and did a great deal of research in Islam. Unbalanced and unsympathetic this study might be, they have nonetheless contributed to the sociological study of Islam and certainly of Sufism. On the other side of the coin, his critiques are no less enthusiastic in their refutation of his major theses and their defense of the more objective study of Islam and Sufism. Hence, the academic debate between the Weberians and their opponents on the nature of Sufism is not yet ceasing and is even developing. This paper is aimed at looking at that debate. It is a kind of contribution to the Weberians sociological study of Sufism. It tries to display the richness of the sociological study in the spiritual dimension of Islam both by the Weberians and their adversaries.

scholarly journals Cyclical theories of social change: Spengler and Toynbee

Sociologija ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 289-312
Author(s):  
Dragoljub Kaurin
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Change ◽  
The Other ◽  
Sociological Study ◽  
The West ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Historical Cycles ◽  
Proper Unit ◽  
Oswald Spengler

This paper is centrally concerned with discussing critically and rethinking the theoretical concepts put forward by Oswald Spengler in Decline of the West and Arnold Toynbee in A Study of History. It focuses on the theoretical, heuristic and epistemological value of these theories in the era of renaissance of philosophic history in some quarters (see for example Graham, 2002) and cooperation between social sciences. Spengler is credited with the idea of historical cycles, rethinking of the progressivist view and discovering a radically different approach to the study of the human past, which is embodied in his idea of culture as the proper unit for historical and sociological study. However, some of his views proved to be intrinsically intellectually dubious, but on the whole, his was a major contribution to the study of social change. Arnold Toynbee on the other hand was more empirically and sociologically oriented, while Spengler?s views are more heavily philosophical. Toynbee partly developed his ideas rather consistently, but at the same time included many unclear and inaccurate points in his theory. Both authors can be rightfully considered to be classical authors in this field and both provided incentive for studies that cross-cut social sciences (philosophy, history, sociology). Moreover, Decline of the West and A Study of History are truly post-disciplinary works.

scholarly journals Ritual & Practices to Attain Spirituality in the light of Religious Scriptures of the World Religion

2019 ◽  
pp. 37-43
Author(s):  
Tayyaba Razzaq
Keyword(s):  
Research Study ◽  
The Other ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
World Religion ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Major Purpose ◽  
The World ◽  
The Will ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Ritual Systems

Humans are spiritual beings and preferred to be an element (one way or the other) of this potent mighty power that fascinated him. Men have been urged to look or visualize the Mighty Lord. Different kind of tools and means were designed in various religious communities to offer a few beautified methods to meet this fundamental intuition. To attain spirituality, many ancient religions had their own rituals and ceremonial systems that mostly consist of external rites and practices. The purpose of the study is to examine and determine the importance of rituals that are being practice in the world religions? What the methods religious scriptures has mentioned for their followers to adopt to attain spirituality? The study is to find out similarities and differences in rituals & practices to attain spirituality as mentioned in their religious scriptures? Research methodology for this study adapted is descriptive. This research study has fined out that some ritual systems are concerned with inwards purification rather than outwards. The major purpose of all such practices; fasting, sacrifices, charity etc are all to free men from the entire evil deeds, make him pure as the will of the Lord and closer to it.

Nietzsche

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. A. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Moral Philosophy ◽  
David Hume ◽  
Thomas Hobbes ◽  
The Other ◽  
Baruch Spinoza ◽  
Spiritual Dimension ◽  
Good And Evil ◽  
Genealogy Of Morals ◽  
Moral Philosophers

This chapter examines Friedrich Nietzsche's moral philosophy, first by explaining what makes him different from most of the other moral philosophers such as David Hume, Thomas Hobbes, the Greeks, and Baruch Spinoza. It then considers Nietzsche's notion of good and evil by addressing three questions: How do we find out what sort of creatures men are? How do we decide what sort of creature man ought to be? Is it possible for man to transform himself into that sort of creature. It also discusses the problem faced by Nietzsche in his attempts to assess human nature, namely: what is to count as health in the spiritual dimension, when is a soul diseased, what is mens sana. Finally, it analyzes the main arguments put forward by Nietzsche in his two books Beyond Good and Evil and The Genealogy of Morals.

scholarly journals From Līlā to Nitya and Back: Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and Vedānta

Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 569
Author(s):  
Arpita Mitra
Keyword(s):  
Religious Orientation ◽  
The State ◽  
The Other ◽  
Advaita Vedānta ◽  
Advaita Vedanta ◽  
States Of Consciousness ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Academic Debate

There has been a long-standing academic debate on the religious orientation of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṁsa (1836–1886), one of the leading religious figures of modern India. In the light of his teachings, it is possible to accept that Rāmakṛṣṇa’s ideas were Vedāntic, albeit not in a sectarian or exclusive way. This article explores the question of where exactly to place him in the chequered history of Vedāntic ideas. It points out that Rāmakṛṣṇa repeatedly referred to different states of consciousness while explaining the difference in the attitudes towards the Divine. This is the basis of his harmonization of the different streams within Vedānta. Again, it is also the basis of his understanding of the place of śakti. He demonstrated that, as long as one has I-consciousness, one is operating within the jurisdiction of śakti, and has to accept śakti as real. On the other hand, in the state of samādhi, which is the only state in which the I-consciosuness disappears, there is neither One nor many. The article also shows that, while Rāmakṛṣṇa accepted all of the different views within Vedānta, he was probably not as distant from the Advaita Vedānta philosopher Ādi Śaṁkara as he has been made out to be.

scholarly journals Marginalized centre: Wana people and the geography of power

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 114
Author(s):  
Giorgio Scalici
Keyword(s):  
Social Power ◽  
The Other ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
World Religions ◽  
The West ◽  
Spiritual World ◽  
The World ◽  
The Government ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Relationship Of

The Wana of Morowali (Indonesia) are nowadays a small endangered community marginalized by the Indonesian government, world religions and the other communities in the area but, according to their own mythology, they are not the periphery of the world, but the real centre of it. Their cosmogonic myth tells how the Wana land (Tana Taa) was the first land placed on the primordial waters and it was full of mythical power, a power that, when the land was spread around the world to create the continents, abandoned the Wana to donate wealth and power to the edge of the world: the West. This myth has a pivotal role in the Wana worldview, their categorization of the world and the power relationships in it. The Wana reverse the traditional relationship between centre and periphery, placing themselves in a powerless centre (the village or the Tana Taa) that gave all its power to a periphery (the jungle or the West) that must be explored to obtain power and knowledge. This relationship not only expresses a clear agency in shaping the relationship of power with forces way stronger than the Wana (Government and world religions) but also creates internal hierarchies based on the access to this knowledge; granted to men and partially precluded to women due to the cultural characterizations of these genders. Indeed, the majority of shamans, called tau walia (human-spirit), are men, and they are the only one that can travel between the human and the spiritual world, obtaining a spiritual and social power. In this article, we will see how Wana categorise the world and use religion, rituality and gender to express their agency to cope with the marginalization by the government, the world religions and the other community in the area.

scholarly journals Martyrdom in Modern Islam

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 111-114
Author(s):  
Showkat Ahmad Dar
Keyword(s):  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Associate Professor ◽  
The Other ◽  
World Religions ◽  
Islamic Studies ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Political Implications ◽  
Zionist Movement ◽  
Theological Foundations ◽  
The Church

Meir Hatina, associate professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies anddirector of the Levtzion Center for Islamic studies at the Hebrew Universityof Jerusalem, explores the evolving perceptions of martyrdom in modern timesand their relevance on past legacies in both Sunni and Shi‘i milieus. He alsomakes comparative references to Judaism, Christianity, and other non-Islamiccultures. The book is divided into eight chapters, an introduction, a conclusion,a bibliography, and an index.In the introduction the author discusses the manifestations of martyrdomthroughout history, its definitions, socio-political implications, and importancein various world religions. In order to present this concept’s historical evolutionand notions and how it is an effective tool for forming and reinforcinggroups, Hatina has framed his book in a series of well-arranged chapters.In the first chapter, “Defying the Oppressor: Martyrdom in Judaism andChristianity,” the author traces the historical and theological foundations ofthis phenomenon in both religions. He relates how traditional Jews were readyto sacrifice their life and viewed martyrdom as the highest degree of their lovefor God. However, he argues that with the advent of the Zionist movement,this readiness was replaced “by an activist approach to self-sacrifice for thenational revival.” Christians, on the other hand, considered martyrdom “thekey for salvation.” By quoting the remarks of Quintus Tertullian (d. c. 240),the father of Latin Christianity, namely, “your cruelty is our glory” and “theblood of the martyrs is the seed of the church” (p. 26), Hatina seeks to expressthe early Christians’ readiness to embrace their non-violent and defensivedeaths at the hands of the pagan Romans.In chapter 2, “Dying for God in Islam,” Hatina delineates the evidence ofmartyrdom in Islamic texts and its diverse interpretations by renowned scholars.He mentions the two types of death in this regard – death for the cause of Allahand self-inflicted suicide – and cites the relevant fatwas of both Sunni and Shi‘ischolars. Denouncing any sort of self-inflicted suicide, including murder withreference to shar‘ī texts, he nevertheless appreciates the soldiers’ wish for deathon the battlefield against their enemies. He presents martyrdom in Islamic legalthought as an exalted form of death and argues that theologians stressed that asoldier who desires such a death eventually finds a greater reward ...

scholarly journals A Religious Ethics of Translation: The Love Command

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-73
Author(s):  
Alan J. E. Wolf
Keyword(s):  
Translation Studies ◽  
The Other ◽  
Religious Ethics ◽  
Moral Action ◽  
Moral Vision ◽  
Religious Perspective ◽  
Spiritual Dimension ◽  
Potential Value ◽  
Professional Codes

Our understanding of ethics in the field of translation studies shows a secular bias which has distorted our moral vision. This article examines recent accounts of the role of ethics when communication is translated by interpreters and translators. Rather than relying on professional codes or relativist approaches, the potential value in adopting a religious perspective to our understanding of ethics is underlined, reclaiming the spiritual dimension of moral action and reconceptualising notions of the Other, power and ideology in translation. Examples are given from the literature in the field of contemporary translation studies.

scholarly journals Post-Zionist Critique on Israel and the Palestinians Part II: The Media

1997 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 37-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilan Pappe
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Israeli Society ◽  
Partial Privatization ◽  
Cumulative Impact ◽  
The Press ◽  
The Media ◽  
Academic Debate ◽  
The Way

The academic debate in Israel on Zionism and its implications for the way the society views itself and the "other" were discussed in part one of this article. This part examines the press, which with partial privatization and the cumulative impact of the Lebanon war and the intifada has undergone a transformation since the late 1980s. While a wider diversity of views and bold reporting on events are now current, the article concludes that the representation of the Palestinians and Arabs in the news columns is fundamentally unchanged. The last part will follow the manifestations of the academic debate in film, theater, novels, music, and poems and will assess the significance of these changes in the culture and worldview of Israeli society as a whole.

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