Research

Research

My research lies mainly at the intersection of philosophy of religion and Islamic philosophy. Although much of my work engages Islamic beliefs, texts, and intellectual traditions, my primary aim is philosophical rather than theological, apologetic, or historical. I am interested in assessing the coherence and plausibility of religious claims and doctrines in light of contemporary philosophical arguments and challenges, asking whether and to what extent they remain philosophically defensible. Most of my work focuses on the philosophical assessment of religious belief in an Islamic context. This includes both questions that arise within the Islamic tradition and broader problems in the philosophy of religion that are of particular significance for Muslims and Islamic thought. My research centers on several recurring themes.

Faith, Reason, and Religious Epistemology

A longstanding concern in my research is the relationship between faith and reason, particularly as it arises within Islam. To what extent should religious beliefs be subjected to rational scrutiny? Can appeals to revelation or religious authority legitimately constrain philosophical inquiry? What kinds of evidence or argument, if any, provide rational support for Islamic belief? And what should a religious believer do when confronted with serious and unresolved doubts about the truth of their faith? In reviewing answers to such questions, my work examines both fideistic and rationalistic approaches to religious belief. I am especially interested in whether attempts to insulate religious commitments from critical scrutiny are philosophically defensible, but also in whether arguments offered in support of those commitments are actually successful. More generally, I am interested in the reasonableness of religious faith when certainty is unavailable, and in the possibility that religious doubt, rather than simply representing a failure of faith, may sometimes be intellectually appropriate and even valuable.

Problems of Religious Diversity

The fact of religious diversity raises a number of philosophical problems that have occupied me throughout my career. People who appear equally sincere, intelligent, and reflective hold widely divergent and often incompatible religious beliefs. What implications does this have for claims to religious knowledge? Can adherents of one religion reasonably maintain that their own beliefs are epistemically privileged while the incompatible beliefs of others are not? And how should religious traditions understand reasonable and inculpable non-belief? I've examined answers to such questions in an Islamic context. In my writings, I've argued that traditional Islamic accounts of religious belief face difficulties in explaining the evident existence of reasonable non-Muslims for whom Islamic belief is neither compelling nor seen as rationally required. Going beyond this, I've also argued that pluralistic interpretations of Islam are more plausible than exclusivist ones, given the phenomenon of religious diversity.

Soteriology (Heaven, Hell, and the Afterlife)

My recent research examines philosophical problems arising from traditional Islamic conceptions of the afterlife. Although heaven and hell occupy a central place in Islamic thought and practice, their philosophical implications have received comparatively little sustained attention. My work in this area looks at whether traditional Sunni accounts of heavenly reward and eternal punishment are coherent and philosophically defensible. With respect to heaven, I examine tensions between traditional portrayals of paradise and Islamic conceptions of human virtue, happiness, and flourishing. With respect to hell, I consider whether the doctrine of eternal punishment can be reconciled with the existence of God, especially given God's goodness and mercy. I argue that significant problems arise for traditional understandings of both doctrines and explore alternative interpretations of Islamic soteriology, including a virtue-oriented conception of heaven and a universalist account of salvation.

Islamic Philosophy

Islamic philosophy is a major context for much of my research. I understand work in this area as fundamentally philosophical, engaging with questions, arguments, doctrines, problems, etc., arising from the Islamic tradition. Although I draw on Islamic sources and the writings of classical Muslim thinkers when relevant, my concerns are primarily animated by philosophical reflection. That is, I am interested not simply in reconstructing what Muslim thinkers have argued, but in assessing the arguments themselves, and seeing how well they withstand contemporary philosophical scrutiny. This approach, I think, allows Islamic thought to enter into important philosophical conversation without assuming that its traditional positions must be defended or preserved. 

Other Philosophical Interests

Beyond my primary research areas, I have interests in the history of philosophy, particularly ancient Greek philosophy and its reception and development within the medieval Islamic, Jewish, and Christian traditions. I also have longstanding interests in epistemology, metaphysics, and informal logic. These wider interests inform both my research and teaching and reflect my general commitment to philosophy as a discipline that cuts across historical periods, intellectual traditions, and areas of inquiry.