Many contemporary theologians, scientists, and philosophers believe that a knowledge of God is essential for a complete account of the universe and our place in it. Of course, such a belief assumes that knowledge of God is possible, and yet some have called into question such theological knowledge. We aim to explore answers to the question of how theological knowledge is possible from both a Christian and Islamic perspective, and the extent to which these perspectives can inform our best science. Contemporary Anglophone discussions of theological knowledge have been conducted almost exclusively from a Christian perspective. They have not considered analogous discussions in the Islamic tradition. This tradition has much to offer to contemporary discussions of theological knowledge, and ignoring it leaves a gap in the contemporary scholarship. Our project will fill this gap.
We aim to take into account the rich understanding of these issues in both the Islamic and Western philosophical, theological, and scientific traditions and bring together scholars from both traditions. We propose to explore and elaborate on how each tradition views the possibility of theological knowledge, and its relationship to our best science. The novelty of this project is increased research, communication, and collaboration across two communities of scholars that have common interests in philosophical theology, but for the past five-hundred years have not enjoyed substantial and sustained interaction.
This project will deliver two workshops, a final capstone conference, scholarly articles, an edited volume, and publications in non-scholarly venues on the project theme. A project website will host accessible summaries of project research and video of conference presentations by invited participants. The impact will be new research that brings the insights of the Islamic tradition to contemporary discussions of theological knowledge.
