Another look at philosophy and religion

Philosophy and religion are two subject-matters or phenomena that have strong influence on man and his way of life. However, if man is to achieve proper guidance on the path of righteousness, it is important for him to understand the meaning, concept and function of each of the two; their respective peculiarities and the limits […]

Philosophy and religion are two subject-matters or phenomena that have strong influence on man and his way of life. However, if man is to achieve proper guidance on the path of righteousness, it is important for him to understand the meaning, concept and function of each of the two; their respective peculiarities and the limits of reason in the search for truth especially in religious matters.
There is no universally accepted definition of philosophy. Each philosopher defines it according to his own school of thought. Philosophy is a free rational inquiry in to the nature and meaning of reality. Philosophy can be defined as “a rational inquiry into the nature and meaning of reality”. It is simply a search for the nature and meaning of things. The philosopher seeks to know and understand the nature, meaning and purpose of things.
The subject matter of philosophy centers on whatever can be known by reasoning, ranging from God, the universe, and to the human society. Philosophy, according to Joseph Omoregbe, is “concerned with generality and universality, not with particularity or individuality”. This means that philosophy is not concerned with the study of any particular individual but with man in general; that is, with the natural and universal features of man.
Religion, like philosophy, means different things to different people. The concept of God, nonetheless, is central to religion. A man of religion or a religious man is a man of God. There is no other phenomenon which moulds and controls man’s life as much as religion does. Men have given up not only their possessions but even their lives for their religious beliefs. Wealthy men became poor because they chose the path of sacrifice and generosity preached by their religion. That is the power of religious belief.
While philosophy and religion often conclude with similar or sometimes identical statements about some areas of human concern which may include the meaning of life, human nature, the value we should pursue; they differ, however, in their ways of arriving at these conclusions. In philosophy, acceptance of a conclusion is based on reasoning, reflective thinking, argumentation and debate; whereas in religion, acceptance of a conclusion is usually not dependent upon evidence and proof. This simply implies that religious beliefs are based on faith. Since faith is a rejection of the facts of logic as necessary elements of proof, it is clear that the attempt by philosophers to avoid resting their conclusion on faith would be an essential point of departure between religion and philosophy. It is because religions consider faith as the only valid basis for accepting religious claim that religion necessarily comes in conflict with philosophy.
Philosophy insists on argument, rational reflection and clarity of thoughts. It is possible for the conclusions of philosophical inquiry to agree with a religious claim; however, it is important to know that such conclusions are not anchored on any divine revelation as religion may posit. Because philosophers require proof or evidence to draw conclusions; empiricism, which is a branch of epistemology becomes a basic requirement in philosophical arguments from which knowledge is expected to emerge. Knowledge, according to philosophers is based on conclusive evidence; and that what is known must be true and capable of being proved to be true. Religious belief, however, is not based on conclusive evidence; meaning that belief is not knowledge; and belief is not necessarily based on reason but on convictions or faith.
In those days, there used to be a television advert to promote Mercedes Benz car. In the advert, a Mercedes car speeds side-by-side with an aircraft on a run-way. The aircraft takes off at a point leaving the Mercedes car on the run-way. This is when a voice would say: “That’s the only difference” (supposedly between a Mercedes car and an airplane). Using the concept of simile (tashbih) in Arabic Rhetorics, it may be useful to bring the advert under reference to mind in our attempt to understand the difference between religion and philosophy. Assuming that philosophy and religion were figuratively the Mercedes car and the airplane respectively, it would imply that philosophy shall be left on the “run-way of rationality” at the point religion takes off (like the airplane) to continue its race or journey in the “airspace of belief”.
The mind of the 21st century man has been greatly influenced by the practical functions of empiricism imbibed consciously or unconsciously by him through the study of basic sciences which teaches that nothing should be seen to be true unless it can be proved through experiments or the use of sensory impressions. The important lesson for believers in this age of sophisticated ideologies is for them to exercise caution in their attempt to subject all religious issues to rational thinking because religious beliefs could be affected by philosophical argumentation. May Allah (SWT) guide believers not to allow arguments and conclusions of philosophers to weigh down on their faith in Allah (SWT); His attributes; and His injunctions revealed to guide their political, social and moral life, amin.
Correction:
In the piece “Maina: The triumph of corruption” published on this page on Saturday, February 23, 2013, Ms Arumah Oteh was erroneously referred to as DG Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) instead of DG Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The error is sincerely regretted.