A Brief.....

A BRIEF THOUGHT ON ISLAM

Islam is many fine things. It is both a Faith (how the individual experiences the divine) and a Following (or, a Religion, thus inherently institutional). Both manifest to rejoice in what is, and promote what will be.
However offering bounty also, our sciences and mercantalisms in essence are a moral vacuum. To correct this we create polities and economisms to ward off that which errs. But these are not infallible, and we both serve and are provided for by them. What’s more they must be constructed by ideal, and Islam, like other Followings, contribute richly by tempering otherwise unchecked excess of power, mere semantics, and greed, as by nature Followings, and Faiths, promote sets of ideals. Their commitment to the ethical is at their core, but to science and economy they are mere by-product.
This is not to say that one word is better than another. Yet we both are and are compelled to live socially. Cooperation is required, and thus consensus’ need is self-evident. Non zero-sum theorems suggest we tap the rich variety of ideas (ideals) in order to confront the human condition. Despite universalist-relativist debate, Islam is one of many players here to help us build of dreams.
So, why ideals? Asking is in a way demonstrative of a lack of hope: that we aspire to more, for ourselves (not just the self, but all of Us), is good. Faiths have the jump, assuming from the beginning that it is all worth it. Hence, their ability to construct how to get there. That’s a key question: how, not why.
Oh, and what’s in a name? Peace…

Scott Filby
Economics Graduate
Monash University