Comparative study of Islamic and non-Islamic thinkers
Alireza Kowsarnia; Hosein Haj Mohamadi
Abstract
The relationship between culture and social structure has long been a central debate in sociology: Do social conditions generate culture, or does culture itself drive structural transformation? Some scholars regard culture as the outcome of structure, while others emphasize its transformative role. Robert ...
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The relationship between culture and social structure has long been a central debate in sociology: Do social conditions generate culture, or does culture itself drive structural transformation? Some scholars regard culture as the outcome of structure, while others emphasize its transformative role. Robert Wuthnow, adopting an objective approach, treats culture not as a subjective phenomenon but as a tangible and observable product. He explains the connection between ideology and structure within a theoretical framework, though structural factors tend to dominate despite his attention to human agency and the concept of “moral order.” In contrast, Ali Shariati conceptualizes the culture–structure relationship as reciprocal and dialectical. While acknowledging the influence of structure on culture, he also emphasizes culture’s capacity to reshape structure. This article analyzes Wuthnow’s cultural theory and critiques it from the perspective of Shariati’s dialectical thought, demonstrating that although Wuthnow attempts to transcend reductionist explanations, his theory ultimately leans toward structural determinism. Shariati, by contrast, offers a more comprehensive interpretation of the mutual interaction between culture and structure.
Comparative study of Islamic and non-Islamic thinkers
Hossein Hajmohamadi; Mohammad Esmailzadeh
Abstract
One of the fundamental issues of human life is the meaning of life. This topic has become a relatively independent area of study in recent decades. The issue can be examined from different perspectives, with the construction of life's meaning or its objectification beyond individual and social constructs ...
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One of the fundamental issues of human life is the meaning of life. This topic has become a relatively independent area of study in recent decades. The issue can be examined from different perspectives, with the construction of life's meaning or its objectification beyond individual and social constructs being one of the important areas that has generated diverse scholarly views. The key questions are: Does a person construct meaning for life, or is the world inherently meaningful, requiring only that an individual align their life with this meaning to achieve a meaningful existence? This article compares the views of Peter Berger and Mohammad-Taqi Jafari on this subject. The research was conducted using a hermeneutic method inspired by John Plamenatz. The research reveals that while Peter Berger and Mohammad-Taqi Jafari share many similarities in their analysis of life's meaning and acknowledge the central role of religion in providing meaning, they differ in their perspectives on how meaning is established—whether through construction or discovery. Berger views the meaning of life as a social construct, whereas Mohammad-Taqi Jafari considers meaning as an objective reality that humans can comprehend by harmonizing with existence.
Rereading and interpreting the ideas of leading Muslim thinkers
Hossein Hajmohammadi
Abstract
One of the important topics in the philosophical schools of social sciences is human civility. The main issue of this article is the explanation of Javadi Amoli's theory about Human civility. In this article, by referring to his works and using the library method, the following results have been obtained: ...
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One of the important topics in the philosophical schools of social sciences is human civility. The main issue of this article is the explanation of Javadi Amoli's theory about Human civility. In this article, by referring to his works and using the library method, the following results have been obtained: According to the theory of the physicality of occurrence and the spirituality of survival, man is first a physical being, then with gradual movement in his essence, he becomes a spiritual being. Although humans benefit from a common single origin in the occurrence, but in survival, they are transformed into many types according to their movement type. Javadi Amoli considers human civility to be the result of one of the steps in the essential movement of man. He puts human and their actions into several categories based on their essential movement: the first; Natural savagery and animal behavior, Second; Mutual recruitment and interaction, Third: Fair employment and act based on reason, fourth; Sacrifice and benevolence and Action based on divine innate. Javadi Amoli considers serving others as a result of human nature. He believes that man is social by divine innate, but he is savage based on his nature.
