Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

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The Causes Responsible for Materialist Tendencies in the West

Authors(s): Ayatullah Murtadha Mutahhari

Translator(s): Mujahid Husayn

Publisher(s): al-Tawhid Islamic Journal

Journal: Vol.12, Vol.13

www.alhassanain.org/english

Notice:

This version is published on behalf of www.alhassanain.org/english

The composing errors are not corrected.

Table of Contents

The Causes Responsible for Materialist tendencies in the West Part 1 of 4 6

Materialism 6

Is Man by Nature a Theist or a Materialist? 6

The Historical Background 8

Materialism in Islamic History 8

Materialism in the Modern Age 9

Inadequacies in the Religious Ideas of the Church 10

Inadequacies in the ideas of the Church relating to God and the metaphysical 11

Anthropomorphic Conceptions of God 11

Auguste Comte's Conception of God 12

The Station of Divinity 13

Auguste Comte's Three Stages of Human History 15

1. The Theological Stage 15

2. The Metaphysical Stage 15

3. The Positive Stage 15

The Violence of the Church 16

Notes 19

The Causes Responsible for Materialist tendencies in the West Part 2 of 4 21

The Inadequacy of Philosophical Ideas 21

The Problem of the First Cause 21

Explaining the Universe by Means of Reason and not Cause 26

Identity of Mind and Reality 27

The Criterion for a Thing's Need for a Cause 28

1. The Theory of the Mutakallimun 30

2. The Theory of Early Islamic Philosophers, such as Ibn Sina, down to the Era of Sadr al-Muta'allihin 30

3. The Special Theory of Sadr al-Muta'allihin and His Followers 32

God and Evolution 36

Notes 45

The Causes Responsible for Materialist tendencies in the West, Part 3 of 4 46

Eternity of Matter 46

God or Freedom? 46

Chance, God, or Causation? 48

The Concept of Creation 50

Finally Russell himself expresses his opinion in this manner 52

Argument from Design 55

Notes 65

The Causes Responsible for Materialist tendencies in the West Part 4 of 4 66

The Inadequacy of the Social and Political Concepts 66

Non-Specialist Opinions 67

God or Life? 68

An Unfavourable Moral and Social Environment 71

Bastion of Heroism and Dissent 75

Conclusion 79