Article | Fall 2007
Distinguished Guest Abdulkarim Soroush at CDTR
ISERP warmly welcomes Abdulkarim Soroush, who will visit ISERP's Center for the Study of Democracy, Toleration, and Religion (CDTR) as a distinguished guest for the fall semester. Soroush is considered one of the world's leading Iranian scholars.
After receiving his first degree in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of London, Soroush earned a master's in Analytical Chemistry and a doctorate in Pharmaceuticology. At the Islamic Seminary in Tehran, he studied Islamic law and philosophy. He was appointed as a member of the Cultural Revolution Institute by Imam Khomeini in 1980 and was Professor of Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of History, Philosophy of Religion (Modern Theology), Mysticism of Maulawi, Comparative Philosophy, and Philosophy of Empirical Sciences at Tehran University until 1996. He has written on diverse topics such as ethics, governance, Rumi poetry, religious conviction and the evolution of religion, and freedom and democracy in Islam.
During his semester at Columbia, Soroush is working closely with Akeel Bilgrami (Philosophy), who leads the center's work on tolerance, conflict, and religious difference, and with graduate philosophy students. With them, he will investigate the role of modern Islam in a world that is increasingly governed by the ideals of democracy and secularism. Much of his recent research investigates the cultural and religious east-west divide. Soroush believes that religion has a role in governing a nation and can add a powerful and important focus on duty and responsibility for each citizen. However, he also speaks of the expansion and contraction of religious knowledge that redefines itself as societies change and grows.
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