Iqbal and Evolution
摘要
Having articulated Iqbal’s metaphysics in the previous three chapters, I will now turn to the utility of his thought in discussions of Islam and the issue of biological evolution. First, I will examine both Iqbal’s attempt to reinterpret the Quranic account of human origins to accommodate a Darwinian evolutionary framework and his attempt to label specific classical Muslim thinkers as proponents of biological evolution, while pointing out that both these attempts fall short of their goal. Despite this, the remainder of this chapter will argue that Iqbal’s metaphysics (his metaphysics of flow, his panpsychism, and his panentheism) has much offer in discussions attempting to reconcile Islamic thought with contemporary evolutionary theory. In particular, I will look at the doctrines of neo-Darwinism as articulated by David Ray Griffin and examine how Iqbal’s metaphysics responds to them.