Aliya K

The paper explores Richard Rorty's novel approach to individual identity, emphasizing its narrative and contingent nature, and its implications for fostering solidarity in contemporary society. There have been several attempts since the Greek period to the modern times to have dwelled in to the notion of subjectivity. However, in particular to Descartes’ cogito, the vast majority of modern philosophers regarded it as an ontological problem, investigating into ‘what is self’ rather, concentrating on the entirety of ‘self’, itself. Although, it was Freud who had shifted the narrative from ‘what’ to ‘how’ and ‘who.’ Nevertheless, the legitimacy and the relevance of the concept have been questioned by several contemporary thinkers which can be grouped into various extremes, giving us interdisciplinary answers to ‘who,’ ‘what’ and ‘how’ notion of self, subjectivity and identity is, and can be. So, the primary aim of this paper is to elucidate how Rorty's anti-essentialist perspective on identity, influenced by Hume's skepticism and Nietzsche's creative subjectivity, challenges traditional notions of selfhood and promotes a more fluid understanding of individual and social identity keeping in mind the objectives of examining the interplay between language, memory, and social interaction in constructing identity, and analyzing the role of irony and solidarity in ethical and intercultural contexts. Furthermore, the study would imply significant outlook in understanding identity in a globalized world marked by intercultural conflicts and ethical relativism, offering a pathway for reconciling individual and collective identities in diverse socio-cultural landscapes.

The primary aim of this study is to explore and comparatively analyse parallels between the Qur’anic construction of spectrum of nafs, or self – “al nafs al ammara bil su; al nafs al lawwama; and, al nafs al mutma ‘inna” – along with Kierkegaard’s three spheres of existence – aesthetical, ethical and religious - and Freud’s model of personality, comprising of id, ego and superego; which can simply be observed as the progression of the tripartite view of nafs advocated by the Qur’an. The resemblance in these distinct philosophical models lies in the individual’s transition from impulsive attitude to moral consciousness and contentment. Each of the mentioned framework reflects upon a universal pattern of human development, marking its journey from appetite to finding its meaning in moral and spiritual values. The analyses may contribute towards a broader field in comparative studies and aims at revealing the commonalities across philosophical cultures suggesting self-transcendence, regulations and contentment as shared human endeavour. Moreover, the examination would further enhance our understanding of these disparate traditions, and underscore the potency of the interdisciplinary insights in the arena of self-development.

The aim of the paper is to put forth how Richard Rorty’s philosophy of literary education could serve as a response to the Indian social crisis. From Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature through his subsequent works, we tend to find three subject matters: Firstly, we ought to abandon correspondence theories of truth and concentrate upon a pragmatic understanding of truth that dismisses Cartesian models of epistemology; secondly, it’s fair to imagine that each individual has two unique sides—one that is visible to others and one that is not. Even while both sides may have similar sentiments, one's public and private perspectives may not always be compatible; finally, literary criticism, frequently referred to as literary studies are to be considered as the ultimate philosophical endeavour. The main argument of the paper derived from the interpretation of Rorty’s three principle beliefs is that a society rich in literary study founded upon a literary education is better, comparatively to where only a selective group of people gain from serious literary engagement. Numerous academic publications in the area of literary philosophy that discuss Rorty’s views and their relevance to education have been taken into account. The convergence of literary criticism, philosophy, and education in Rorty's work which has largely been overlooked by researchers in the area, is taken into consideration, in connection to which a number of communal issues have also been articulated with an eye towards how Rorty would respond to such issues.

The central basis for a human to love another is rooted in the integral nature of God itself, Allahu Muhibba "God is Love." Love of God, being a divine concept, sees no duality of Being, which entails that, there is no male or female, only Being, one who has committed and devoted oneself towards the path of ultimate light of love. This paper calls for attention to a little-explored theme of immense significance in mysticism where women have also played a significant role in its development. Throughout the centuries, for many reasons, women have often been not able to fully represent themselves, in comparison to men, in carrying forward the torch of knowledge, but, they have been actively participating in the endeavor. Some of them devoted themselves to the spirit of asceticism living away from the society, for example, Rabi'a al-Adawiya and Mirabai, and on the other hand, some of them chose the role of active social life, becoming benefactress and fostering the circles of worship and study, for example, Mother Teresa. This paper discusses the role of feminine mystics in the development of the mystical tradition in reference to Rabi'a al- Adawiya, Mirabai and Mother Teresa in the light of 'Divine Love' as this is the essence of their ascetic contribution to the tradition.