Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Mahyad Zaerpoor Rahnamaie, Minimalism from a Baha'i Perspective, bahai-library.com.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Minimalism from a Bahá'í Perspective

Mahyad Zaerpoor Rahnamaie
published in Lights of IrfánVolume 8, pp. 309-322

Wilmette, IL: Irfan Colloquia, 2007

Abstract:

Following the last year introduction to the basic tenets of the Bahá’í epistemology at Irfán colloquium, we continue our discussion of minimalism and its relevance to the Bahá’í Faith.

In its restricted domain, minimalism stands for an epistemological system in which, on one side, it is in agreement with many of the principles of scientific objectivism. Minimalism accepts the objective reality outside human perception. It values the instrumentality of the human intellect as the principal tool of discovering such realities. Like science, minimalism is firmly based on modern logic, linear procession, clarity of statements, precision, probability, and other commonly utilized scientific methodology. However, it tends to go beyond the reductionism of scientific objectivity to favorably adopt some of the subjectivist views in epistemology. For example, it distinguishes between irrational and trans-rational. Minimalism accepts the objective existence of non-observables that are absolutely necessary to explain the observables.

Traditionally, the application of rigorous logical methods had been considered appropriate only in the domain of theoretical and applied mathematics, experimental sciences, and artificial intelligence. Minimalism makes a heroic effort to argue the feasibility of applying the principles of such formal methods when studying religious, metaphysical, and ethical issues as well. At the same time, minimalism tries to avoid being entrapped in the limits of total objectification. It acknowledges the validity of other modes of investigation such as trans-rational intuition, meditation, and revelation not only in the ontological domains but as acceptable methods in mathematical and scientific endeavors.

Since the Bahá’í Faith argues in favor of the validity of adopting a perspective in which reality is a unified whole rather than a fragmented entity, utilizing the basic tenets of minimalism is of particular interest in giving the Bahá’í epistemological system a more formal appearance. An effort will be made to explore such possibilities when discussing the parallel views between the two systems.

Download: lights8_rahnamaie.pdf.

METADATA

Views6460 views since posted 2010-07-19; last edit 2023-06-23 19:13 UTC;

previous at archive.org.../rahnamaie_minimalism_bahai_perspective
Language
English
Permission
editor and publisher
Share

Shortlink: bahai-library.com/3607
Citation: ris/3607

select Collection:
Archives
Articles
Articles-unpublished
Audio
Bibliographies
BIC
Biographies
Books
Chronologies
Compilations
Compilations-NSA
Compilations-personal
Documents
East-asia
Encyclopedia
Essays
Etc
Excerpts
Fiction
Glossaries
Guardian
Histories
Introductory
Letters
Maps
Music
Newspapers
NSA-documents
NSA-letters
Personal
Pilgrims
Poetry
Presentations
Resources
Reviews
Scripts
Software
Statistics
Study
Talks
Theses
Transcripts
Translations
UHJ-documents
UHJ-letters
Video
Visual
Writings

home

sitemap

series

chronology

search:
author

title

date

tags

adv. search
languages

inventory

bibliography

abbreviations

links

about

contact

RSS

new