Golam Dastagir - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Professor Dr Golam Dastagir
Cell: 647-406-3501
Email: m.g.dastagir@gmail.com
I have been involved with teaching and research at different universities and colleges over the last 33 years, half of which I have spent in South Asia and half of which in Europe and North America. I have been living and teaching in Toronto, Canada, since 2008, following my self-retirement from Jahangirnagar University as a Professor in 2013.
I started my teaching career in 1990 as a Lecturer in Philosophy and became Chairman of the Department of Philosophy in 2001 and Professor in 2003 respectively at Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. I served as the Vice-President of Bangladesh Philosophical Association and discharged the duties as the Director of the Centre for Philosophical Research and Activities. I also worked as the Secretary-General of the Bangladesh Chapter of the Asian Conference of the Religions for Peace (ACRP) – a sister concern of Religions for Peace (RfP), New York. I am currently teaching Global Citizenship at Centennial College and Community Service Worker (CSW) at Academy of Learning College, Toronto. I am also providing counselling services as the Mentor of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC). In Canada, I have been involved with such community voluntary services as Director and Secretary of Birchmount Bluffs Neighbourhood Centre (Toronto), Training Director and Learning Coach of Academy of Learning (Toronto), Media and Publications Secretary of Greater Dhaka Association (Canada) Inc., to name but a few.
I pursued PhD in Philosophy at the University of Hull, England, on a Commonwealth Scholarship, in 1998, and I did BA Honours and MA with 1st Class 1st Position at the dept of Philosophy, the University of Dhaka, in 1985 and 1986 respectively. I also did MBA in HRM at Atish Dipankar University of Science and Technology, Dhaka. My teaching and research affiliations include Ideal College, Jahangirnagar University, East West University, Eastern University, Brac University, Atish Dipankar University of Science and Technology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Catholic University of America, Washington DC, University of Toronto, Academy of Learning College (Toronto), Pharma-Medical Science College of Canada (Toronto), Seneca College (Toronto), and Centennial College (Toronto). My areas of interest include, but are not limited to, Intercultural Philosophy, Cultural Anthropology, Applied Ethics, Mental Health and Addictions, HRM, and Comparative Religions with a specialty in Sufism on which I write extensively and actively in local and international journals, encyclopedias, books, social media, etc. Three of my books are catalogued at the library of the University of Toronto. My latest work about “Understanding Others” in the context of Buddhist-Islamic dialogue for peace was published in 2019, from Malaysia. My works some of which are available at academia.edu are widely accessed and cited by scholars and academics across the world. I have organized and participated in international seminars and conferences in Bangladesh, India, The Philippines, South Korea, Malaysia, France, Canada, Australia, USA.
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Papers by Golam Dastagir
Encyclopedia of Indian religions, 2018
Encyclopedia of Indian religions, 2018
Shaykh Abdul Kadir (d. 1852) was the most prolific Muslim poet in Tamil.
Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, 2018
Shaykh Abdul Kadir (d. 1852) was the most prolific Muslim poet in Tamil.
Chicago, ILxx, 466 p.: bibl., index; 23 c
Faith-based ethical reform for social stability and sustainable development
Encyclopedia of Indian religions, 2018
Dialogue and Alliance, 1999
The Jahangirnagar Review, 1997
Islamic philosophers, such as Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina and Ibn Rush'd attached great importance to the... more Islamic philosophers, such as Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina and Ibn Rush'd attached great importance to the Greek and Hellenistic views of the soul, God, immortality, etc. Ibn Sina, following Platonic and neo-Platonic eschatological theses, holds a spiritualist view of man and the human soul as opposed to the Aristotelian tradition. Both Plotinus and Avicenna suggest that man is the highest being, a view which is reflected in the Qur´ãn and the Bible, and that man has an inclination to return to the Supreme Being, since God is the ultimate Source and the final Goal of all being. The One, which is God in Plotinus's thought, is that on which all depends and towards which all existences aspire as to their source (I.8.2). 1 So as there is a process of descent, so is there a process of ascent. This view is reflected in monotheistic religious traditions and Ibn Sina does not find any problem to endorse it. In this paper, we endeavour to show that although both Plotinus and Ibn Sina wear the mystic cloak and show sympathy towards the mystic way of life and view of the soul as being capable of returning to its origin, they differ on fundamental points. In offering his mystical experience Plotinus speaks of enjoying communion with the One, God, though through an intermediary stage of the nous or the Intellect while Ibn Sina confines himself within the conjunction (ittisaal) with, not communion (ittihaad) with, the Active Intellect, an intermediary heavenly body between God and man, involved in contemplative activity. We shall explore that Avicenna carefully rejects the Plotinian mystical 'union', which identifies the soul with God-an expression of radical or unitary mysticism-in order to safeguard the individual identity and personal immortality in his monistic system, and in so doing, Avicenna finds himself as neither a true Aristotelian, nor a true Plotinian.
Philosophy, as a way of life, is closely bound up with religion in Asia, the birth place of the m... more Philosophy, as a way of life, is closely bound up with religion in Asia, the birth place of the major traditions of the world with precious truths and values for peace and harmonious coexistence. Truth, beauty, goodness, love, patience, tolerance, non-violence are some of the cardinal teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Confucianism, Daoism, Shintoism also hold values that serve as the basis for ethical behaviour across the societies of the Far East. All these traditions advocate peace, harmony, respect, love, humility, etc. But misuse of norms and misunderstanding of religious values add fuel to the irrational and illogical policies of what is known as 'war on terror'. Religionstheistic or atheistic-aim to find ways and means for a congenial and harmonious relationship of man with the world in which he lives. Sixth century BC is the golden age of the world. During the 6 th and 7 th centuries the world, particularly, Asia was blessed with great philosophic-religious leaders-Confucius in China, Gautama Buddha and Mahavir in India, for example. The worldviews of these great leaders for the betterment of people have embodied the most essential features of the society and human beings ever since the earliest times. One of the most celebrated leaders of the world is Gautama, the Buddha (the enlightened one). His teachings are called Buddhism, known both as philosophy and religion. Though born and brought up in the royal Hindu family with ample amenities, prince Siddhartha had never indulged in worldly attachments and amusements; rather, he was deeply concerned primarily about the sorrows and sufferings of human lives, the cause of which, he realized after meditating long six years in rigorous ascetic ways, was ignorance or 'avidya'. He realized that man's life is full of sufferings and sorrows. Birth, various diseases, old age and death-all are signs of suffering. The central concern of his philosophy based on his teachings expressed in the historical way of defining democracy is 'by the people, of the people, for the people'. These people are individuals, who require none for the salvation or liberation of their unabated sufferings. Man is the main concern in his philosophy. Every individual is the measure and maker of who he is and who he will be in the future. He must pay the price for what he does. Man himself is the cause of his sufferings and he must strive to set himself free from all bondage of the worldly life by
Anvesan (The Search), 2005
If God is perfectly good and unlimitedly powerful, why do humans suffer from fatal diseases? Why ... more If God is perfectly good and unlimitedly powerful, why do humans suffer from fatal diseases? Why are there natural calamities in the world? Why does God not stop those who kill innocent people or choose always the wrong causing great suffering to others? Although the theists have adopted a number of adequate solutions to the problems of God being all-powerful and the existence of evil, the problem of evil remains as controversial as before. In the present paper my attempt is to critically examine whether human freedom affects God being omnipotent, or His divine foreknowledge compels Him to create such human beings who will always do what is good. I shall approach the problem from a critic's point of view and endeavour to reconcile the hypothesis of a good and beneficent God with the existence of an apparently evil and imperfect world.
Copula, 1999
The Arabic-Persian term 'nafs', the plural of which is 'nufus' or 'anfüs', has many connotations ... more The Arabic-Persian term 'nafs', the plural of which is 'nufus' or 'anfüs', has many connotations and usages in Islamic theology. Some difficulties arise while this technical term is confused with the terms ruh and aql, translating 'spirit' and 'intelligence' respectively in English. It is noted that the term 'nafs', used in different contexts, bears different meanings, even in many places in the Qur'ãn. In most cases the term 'nafs' or its plural 'anfus' or 'nufus' has been used in the Quran to refer to human self or person (XII:54), to God or Allah (V:116), to 'jinn' (VI:130), to the human soul (VI:93) and so forth. In some cases, the term 'ruh' is also used to denote what is meant by 'nafs'. Some Islamic thinkers use the terms 'nafs' and 'ruh' interchangeably to mean the human soul. Some even hold that nafs, ruh, qalb, sirr mean the same thing, the subtle properties (lataf) of man. It has been seen in early Arabic literature that nafs meant 'self' or 'person', while ruh denoted 'breath' or 'wind'. The Sufi thinkers have laid much importance on the use of nafs and ruh, from which elm an-nafs (science of soul) has developed in sufi psychology. The Sufis find no difficulties in accepting the nafs to mean the human soul, but in addition they take it to mean 'self' or 'individual ego', which refers to the lower nature of man. Again, the nafs is characterized according to the levels of its structure, reflected in the Quranic characterization as the commanding soul (nafs-e ammara) [XII:53], the blaming soul (nafs-e lawwama) [LXXV:2], the inspired soul (nafs-e molhama) and the soul at-peace rest (nafs-e motma'enna) [LXXXIX:2]. In this paper, we endeavour to show how the notion of nafs is used and understood in different contexts and how the Sufis have developed the concept in terms of different levels of stages from the lowest to the highest, thus aiming at reaching the highest stage of spirituality where he claims to have known Allah through Allah. It is also our concern to explore that the concept of nafs is different from those of ruh, qalb, 'aql and likewise, and that they should not be used interchangeably. We shall also make a. survey on how the Greek, Jewish and Christian concepts of the soul are related to die Islamic concept of the soul.
Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, 2018
Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, 2018
Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, 2018
Encyclopedia of Indian religions, 2018
Encyclopedia of Indian religions, 2018
Shaykh Abdul Kadir (d. 1852) was the most prolific Muslim poet in Tamil.
Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, 2018
Shaykh Abdul Kadir (d. 1852) was the most prolific Muslim poet in Tamil.
Chicago, ILxx, 466 p.: bibl., index; 23 c
Faith-based ethical reform for social stability and sustainable development
Encyclopedia of Indian religions, 2018
Dialogue and Alliance, 1999
The Jahangirnagar Review, 1997
Islamic philosophers, such as Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina and Ibn Rush'd attached great importance to the... more Islamic philosophers, such as Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina and Ibn Rush'd attached great importance to the Greek and Hellenistic views of the soul, God, immortality, etc. Ibn Sina, following Platonic and neo-Platonic eschatological theses, holds a spiritualist view of man and the human soul as opposed to the Aristotelian tradition. Both Plotinus and Avicenna suggest that man is the highest being, a view which is reflected in the Qur´ãn and the Bible, and that man has an inclination to return to the Supreme Being, since God is the ultimate Source and the final Goal of all being. The One, which is God in Plotinus's thought, is that on which all depends and towards which all existences aspire as to their source (I.8.2). 1 So as there is a process of descent, so is there a process of ascent. This view is reflected in monotheistic religious traditions and Ibn Sina does not find any problem to endorse it. In this paper, we endeavour to show that although both Plotinus and Ibn Sina wear the mystic cloak and show sympathy towards the mystic way of life and view of the soul as being capable of returning to its origin, they differ on fundamental points. In offering his mystical experience Plotinus speaks of enjoying communion with the One, God, though through an intermediary stage of the nous or the Intellect while Ibn Sina confines himself within the conjunction (ittisaal) with, not communion (ittihaad) with, the Active Intellect, an intermediary heavenly body between God and man, involved in contemplative activity. We shall explore that Avicenna carefully rejects the Plotinian mystical 'union', which identifies the soul with God-an expression of radical or unitary mysticism-in order to safeguard the individual identity and personal immortality in his monistic system, and in so doing, Avicenna finds himself as neither a true Aristotelian, nor a true Plotinian.
Philosophy, as a way of life, is closely bound up with religion in Asia, the birth place of the m... more Philosophy, as a way of life, is closely bound up with religion in Asia, the birth place of the major traditions of the world with precious truths and values for peace and harmonious coexistence. Truth, beauty, goodness, love, patience, tolerance, non-violence are some of the cardinal teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Confucianism, Daoism, Shintoism also hold values that serve as the basis for ethical behaviour across the societies of the Far East. All these traditions advocate peace, harmony, respect, love, humility, etc. But misuse of norms and misunderstanding of religious values add fuel to the irrational and illogical policies of what is known as 'war on terror'. Religionstheistic or atheistic-aim to find ways and means for a congenial and harmonious relationship of man with the world in which he lives. Sixth century BC is the golden age of the world. During the 6 th and 7 th centuries the world, particularly, Asia was blessed with great philosophic-religious leaders-Confucius in China, Gautama Buddha and Mahavir in India, for example. The worldviews of these great leaders for the betterment of people have embodied the most essential features of the society and human beings ever since the earliest times. One of the most celebrated leaders of the world is Gautama, the Buddha (the enlightened one). His teachings are called Buddhism, known both as philosophy and religion. Though born and brought up in the royal Hindu family with ample amenities, prince Siddhartha had never indulged in worldly attachments and amusements; rather, he was deeply concerned primarily about the sorrows and sufferings of human lives, the cause of which, he realized after meditating long six years in rigorous ascetic ways, was ignorance or 'avidya'. He realized that man's life is full of sufferings and sorrows. Birth, various diseases, old age and death-all are signs of suffering. The central concern of his philosophy based on his teachings expressed in the historical way of defining democracy is 'by the people, of the people, for the people'. These people are individuals, who require none for the salvation or liberation of their unabated sufferings. Man is the main concern in his philosophy. Every individual is the measure and maker of who he is and who he will be in the future. He must pay the price for what he does. Man himself is the cause of his sufferings and he must strive to set himself free from all bondage of the worldly life by
Anvesan (The Search), 2005
If God is perfectly good and unlimitedly powerful, why do humans suffer from fatal diseases? Why ... more If God is perfectly good and unlimitedly powerful, why do humans suffer from fatal diseases? Why are there natural calamities in the world? Why does God not stop those who kill innocent people or choose always the wrong causing great suffering to others? Although the theists have adopted a number of adequate solutions to the problems of God being all-powerful and the existence of evil, the problem of evil remains as controversial as before. In the present paper my attempt is to critically examine whether human freedom affects God being omnipotent, or His divine foreknowledge compels Him to create such human beings who will always do what is good. I shall approach the problem from a critic's point of view and endeavour to reconcile the hypothesis of a good and beneficent God with the existence of an apparently evil and imperfect world.
Copula, 1999
The Arabic-Persian term 'nafs', the plural of which is 'nufus' or 'anfüs', has many connotations ... more The Arabic-Persian term 'nafs', the plural of which is 'nufus' or 'anfüs', has many connotations and usages in Islamic theology. Some difficulties arise while this technical term is confused with the terms ruh and aql, translating 'spirit' and 'intelligence' respectively in English. It is noted that the term 'nafs', used in different contexts, bears different meanings, even in many places in the Qur'ãn. In most cases the term 'nafs' or its plural 'anfus' or 'nufus' has been used in the Quran to refer to human self or person (XII:54), to God or Allah (V:116), to 'jinn' (VI:130), to the human soul (VI:93) and so forth. In some cases, the term 'ruh' is also used to denote what is meant by 'nafs'. Some Islamic thinkers use the terms 'nafs' and 'ruh' interchangeably to mean the human soul. Some even hold that nafs, ruh, qalb, sirr mean the same thing, the subtle properties (lataf) of man. It has been seen in early Arabic literature that nafs meant 'self' or 'person', while ruh denoted 'breath' or 'wind'. The Sufi thinkers have laid much importance on the use of nafs and ruh, from which elm an-nafs (science of soul) has developed in sufi psychology. The Sufis find no difficulties in accepting the nafs to mean the human soul, but in addition they take it to mean 'self' or 'individual ego', which refers to the lower nature of man. Again, the nafs is characterized according to the levels of its structure, reflected in the Quranic characterization as the commanding soul (nafs-e ammara) [XII:53], the blaming soul (nafs-e lawwama) [LXXV:2], the inspired soul (nafs-e molhama) and the soul at-peace rest (nafs-e motma'enna) [LXXXIX:2]. In this paper, we endeavour to show how the notion of nafs is used and understood in different contexts and how the Sufis have developed the concept in terms of different levels of stages from the lowest to the highest, thus aiming at reaching the highest stage of spirituality where he claims to have known Allah through Allah. It is also our concern to explore that the concept of nafs is different from those of ruh, qalb, 'aql and likewise, and that they should not be used interchangeably. We shall also make a. survey on how the Greek, Jewish and Christian concepts of the soul are related to die Islamic concept of the soul.
Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, 2018
Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, 2018
Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism, 2018