The Quest for Meaning: Developing a Philosophy of Pluralism

Tariq Ramadan

Aug 2010 · Penguin UK

About this ebook

In The Quest for Meaning, Tariq Ramadan, philosopher and Islamic scholar, invites the reader to join him on a journey to the deep ocean of religious, secular, and indigenous spiritual traditions to explore the most pressing contemporary issues. Along the way, Ramadan interrogates the concepts that frame current debates including: faith and reason, emotions and spirituality, tradition and modernity, freedom, equality, universality, and civilization. He acknowledges the greatest flashpoints and attempts to bridge divergent paths to a common ground between these religious and intellectual traditions. He calls urgently for a deep and meaningful dialogue that leads us to go beyond tolerant co-existence to mutual respect and enrichment. Written in a both direct and meditative style this is an important, timely and intelligent book that aims to direct and shape debate around the most important questions of our time.

About the author

Tariq Ramadan is Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at St Antony's College, Oxford University, and also teaches at the Oxford Faculty of Theology. He is Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Studies and Director of the Research Centre of Islamic Legislation and Ethics (both in Qatar), and Senior Research Fellow at Doshisha University in Japan.