Global Philosophy Research Interest Group Talk (Mohammed Rustom, Carleton)

The Global Philosophy Research Interest Group is delighted to welcome as guest speaker Mohammed Rustom, a professor of Islamic Thought and Global Philosophy at Carleton University and the director of the Carleton Centre for the Study of Islam. His publications include Inrushes of the Heart: The Sufi Philosophy of ‘Ayn al-Qudat (SUNY Press, 2023), Global Philosophy: A Sourcebook (Equinox, in press), and Why Read Mulla Sadra Today? (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming).

He has been the recipient of a number of academic distinctions and prizes such as the Ibn ‘Arabi Society Latina’s Tarjuman Prize, a Templeton Foundation Global Philosophy of Religion grant, the Institute of Ismaili Studies’ Annemarie Schimmel Fellowship, Iran’s World Prize for the Book of the Year, and Senior Fellowships courtesy of the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute’s Library of Arabic Literature and Humanities Research Fellowship programs.

An internationally recognized scholar whose works have been translated into more than 10 languages, Dr. Rustom’s research focuses on Islamic philosophy, Arabic and Persian Sufi literature, Quranic exegesis, translation theory, and cross-cultural philosophy.

This is an in-person event, but if you need to join the livestream, please follow the Zoom link.

Passcode: 429871

Talk Title

Evil, Suffering, and the Art of Listening in Islamic Philosophy

Talk Abstract

Drawing on the rich resources of the Islamic philosophical tradition (past and present), this lecture will put forward an anthropocentric conception of evil and suffering by arguing that the cultivation of human attentiveness and listening are the most meaningful kinds of “responses” to the problem of evil. The lecture will then shift gears and examine the practical dimensions of the art of listening by presenting a dialogue between a philosophy graduate student and a certain sage whom the student mysteriously chances upon one morning on his way to class. The student poses several challenging questions to the sage on the nature of evil and suffering, and the sage responds point by point, leaving the questioner with much to think about concerning his own epistemic resources and categories of interpretation.

The Global Philosophy Research Interest Group explores the benefits of drawing on diverse traditions of thought in approaching philosophical questions. These include novel insights into familiar problems, new questions and research directions, and fresh methodologies. We work to deprovincialize and decolonize all aspects of philosophy in the academy. The group currently has strengths in Sanskrit philosophy, and Chinese philosophy, Indian philosophy in English, and classical Islamic philosophy.