Pleroma Design, Qur’ānic Approach to God Intervention in Nature

Document Type : Scholary

Authors

1 Department of Qur’ān and hadīth sciences, Interdisciplinary Quranic Studies Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of philosophy of mind, Interdisciplinary Quranic Studies Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

This article argues that the Holy Qur’an is not in line with any of the three common beliefs about God's intervention in nature, including evolutionism, creationism, and intelligent design, and instead proposes a fourth approach and refers to it as the pleroma design. The pleroma design theory posits that God directly intervenes in the creation of life, while at the same time allowing evolutionary changes with the mechanism of natural selection. This theory provides an explanation that is both metaphysical and empirical in a way that is not contradicting. Unlike creationism, the pleroma design theory is unique in aligning with theological and philosophical principles without denying the evolution theory as the main contemporary scientific paradigm. It is also not committed to the naturalistic requirements imposed by evolutionists or relying on scientific and experimental evidence or pseudoscientific explanations advocated by intelligent design proponents. Ultimately, the theory of pleroma design illustrates that from one point of view, there is at the very least a complementary relationship between science and religion rather than conflict, and the other view would point to a compatible relationship between science and religion.

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Main Subjects

References

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Classical and Contemporary Islamic Studies (formerly known as Journal of Contemporary Islamic Studies)
Volume 6, Issue 1
Winter & Spring 2024
January 2024
Pages 115-125

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