Invisible Beings and Fantastical Worlds

Catalog description

The Qur’an declares itself to be a book “for those who believe in the unseen” and gives vivid descriptions of multiple worlds and beings that are invisible to the human eye. Muslims throughout the centuries have expanded upon this Qur’anic foundation in their explorations of what exists beyond, or at the very limits of, human perception and power. The course will examine writings from both past and present about supernatural jinn, angels, satanic beings, and heaven and hell. We will read about the visions and travels of individuals who claim to have accessed other worlds and beings through their dreams, altered states, near-death experiences, and magic. When a philosopher named Ibn Arabi declared in the 13th century that he could hear and understand the speech of animate and inanimate objects on Earth, was he engaging in fantastical, imaginative, deluded thinking or paranormal observation? How have academics and others who live in disenchanted spaces engaged with writings and practices that reject a purely materialist understanding of reality? How has scientific study in areas such as quantum physics and plant intelligence led to alternative ways of viewing what used to be called “primitive” thought? While course work will be looking at these questions and topics primarily through Muslim writings, individual conference projects could involve the exploration of these topics through the lenses of other traditions. No prior knowledge of Islam is required. Continental Philosophy of Religions