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The Quest for Meaning: Developing a Philosophy of Pluralism
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In The Quest for Meaning: Developing a Philosophy of Pluralism, Tariq Ramadan embarks on a journey to uncover the profound truths that bind us together. In a world so full of different beliefs and viewpoints, how can we find peace in our shared humanity? Acclaimed thinker and philosopher Tariq Ramadan explores universal ideas such as love, respect, truth and tolerance, and
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Paperback, 212 pages
Published
September 28th 2010
by Penguin Global
(first published August 5th 2010)
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Freedom is not really free as I thought, freedom as this book is trying to tell me is the very hard work of liberating ourselves from the primordial concept of freedom, freedom is how to get the power of understanding, being able to see the windows of world and being compassionate to other human being & to our own-selves that's the real freedom that will survive us in the earth as God want us live!
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The book is important in that it is one of the few places where Tariq Ramadan appears to systematically articulate his ideas. Many of the ideas presented are compelling and demonstrate Ramadan's carefulness of thought. The book, however, is also a missed opportunity. Rather than being grounded in the Islamic tradition and hence being an important work of theology, the book instead aims at being a general "philosophy of pluralism," as the subtitle indicates, that is universally accessible and app
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I've lots of questions inside.. About the world, about finding peace, about existence, about faith & its relation with reason or science. Lots was going on inside of me and That's why I had picked up this book by "Tariq Ramadan" that is tackling the subject of dualism, philosophy, search for meaning and many more..
I've found my questions as raised by Immanuel Kant ( What can I know? What should I do? What may I hope for?). I also found a recognition of the situation by what Ramadan called the b ...more
I've found my questions as raised by Immanuel Kant ( What can I know? What should I do? What may I hope for?). I also found a recognition of the situation by what Ramadan called the b ...more
This is a book meant to start a dialogue, and to provide one with the framework and vision necessary to begin that dialogue. It is not an answer, and Ramadan does not pretend to give answers, although, in light of this, I often felt he was attempting to cover too much ground.
What I took from this book was a profound call to love more deeply. Everything else that Ramadan mentions is ultimately drawn from love. Love involves a particular tension from the vantage point of pluralism. This tension m ...more
What I took from this book was a profound call to love more deeply. Everything else that Ramadan mentions is ultimately drawn from love. Love involves a particular tension from the vantage point of pluralism. This tension m ...more
P. Tariq is the one who taught me that without discipline you cannot maintain freedom, This book should definitely have a place on your shelf, it is so intense yet on its first pages, I realized I have to go back and read it again.
Tariq Ramadan portrays ethics, diversity, arts, philosophies, spiritualities, religions in different angles, for those who dont read philosophy, this book will be difficult yet it is so necessary to read, even if you read it bit by bit. Human beings are on a quest and ...more
Tariq Ramadan portrays ethics, diversity, arts, philosophies, spiritualities, religions in different angles, for those who dont read philosophy, this book will be difficult yet it is so necessary to read, even if you read it bit by bit. Human beings are on a quest and ...more
I loved this book very much - with slight preference for some chapters over the others. However, collectively, this is a very good book indeed, covering a wide spectrum of topics from Education to Politics, Equality, Mysticism & Love ... The author explains big, sometimes complicated terms and concepts in layman language which makes it easy to keep up with him.
I could strongly relate to many things written in this book, I am already sharing a few hereunder.
I'd strongly recommend the book for any ...more
I could strongly relate to many things written in this book, I am already sharing a few hereunder.
I'd strongly recommend the book for any ...more
The title of the book tells a lot about its contents. This is a philosophical book, heavily dealing with Philosophical arguments in an effort to create a base and initiation in reader's mind to start a quest for meaning.
The chapters deal with various topics, to name a few: Faith & reason, Tolerance & Respect, Freedom, Fraternity & equality, Education, Independence, Civilization etc. You will come to know many different points of view of different schools of thoughts on each topic. Writer intende ...more
The chapters deal with various topics, to name a few: Faith & reason, Tolerance & Respect, Freedom, Fraternity & equality, Education, Independence, Civilization etc. You will come to know many different points of view of different schools of thoughts on each topic. Writer intende ...more
"We should therefore invert out perspective and approach the issue in terms of ends rather than fundementals. Rather than arguing (or quarreling) about different conceptions of men, we should, that is, be asking what these different traditions or schools of thought have to offer and how they can help human beings to develop their full potential. We have by no means reached a consensus, but the differences are minor and the goals are the same. There is something universal about all these traditio
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Feb 11, 2013
Stephanie Smith
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Shelves:
politics,
christianity,
philosophy,
religions,
europe,
asia,
own-a-copy,
ownpre2017sc,
middle-east,
islam
The message of this book is very important and one that everyone should take to heart. With that said, the way this message is conveyed in Ramadan's work is so complicated and intricate that the only way to fully grasp its meaning is by reading the book. But be warned; this book is not a quick read nor a skim!
This book is everything one would expect from a work of philosophy. It is dense, sophisticated, assumes that everyone knows what a "troubadour" is, has paragraphs that span one and a half ...more
This book is everything one would expect from a work of philosophy. It is dense, sophisticated, assumes that everyone knows what a "troubadour" is, has paragraphs that span one and a half ...more
Tariq Ramadan has a lot of power in his pen. This book is really essential to know more about globalisation, modernity, pluralism and many other contemporary issues. Ramadan's encompassing knowledge and art of writing makes this book more valuable. Interesting insights!
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Required reading for everyone.
Tariq able to potray the exact understanding on the pluralism, the truth pluralism, which not offending Islamic syari'e
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It took me around a year to get through this book. Some chapters were more easily digestible than others. This is a book I will be sure to re-read, especially if I am ever in charge of someone else's upbringing.
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Dec 07, 2015
Ola
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
anybody whose interest is piqued by the title
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What drew me to prof. Ramadan when I first heard him speak a few years ago was two words he used over and over again, and again in every speech I have ever heard him give: "critical thinking". I always got the feeling that he was in this constant state of exasperation with humankind and our indiscriminate fixation on differences, so much so that we would go to war over it; "We look around us- at ourselves, our friends, our enemies- and we are overwhelmed with sadness: so little critical thinking
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Considering what a well-intended and lucid philosophizing attempt it generally came out to be, I hate to say that it unfortunately falls a little short of its intended end. It certainly is a 'quest' for meaning; however, in general, Ramadan fails to provide a really original philosophy of pluralism. It seems like a self-evident myriad of compromises that comes as a necessary burden with any such attempt. It is certainly good as a reasonable survey of all the interesting questions belonging to on
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The book in itself is a reminder of how much we are alike and still so different, our singularity is universal, but somehow we focus on the differences. Tariq Ramadan has a way in make our similarities more pronounced, our freedom without knowledge is not freedom, respect without respecting the sources of reference and trying to comprehend it is not respect, the other is a mirror to ourselves and whenever we are well aware of the objectives and the escense of our tradition and spirtuality can we
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This book gets a 2 star because it was OK. It was not bad.
It certainly was not a one sitting reading for me. I find my self having to re read certain paragraphs trying to grasp the message. I suppose it would be easier for those familiar with this genre as reference to sources of philosophical thoughts were strewn all through out the book.
This book to me is a guidebook for those in search of the meaning of life.
The book begins with discussing what how we come to the point of searching and at wha ...more
It certainly was not a one sitting reading for me. I find my self having to re read certain paragraphs trying to grasp the message. I suppose it would be easier for those familiar with this genre as reference to sources of philosophical thoughts were strewn all through out the book.
This book to me is a guidebook for those in search of the meaning of life.
The book begins with discussing what how we come to the point of searching and at wha ...more
"This book is a journey, and an initiation." The book is indeed that. Tariq Ramadan discusses a variety of topics that are connected, yet not really connected at the same time; from different philosophical and religious perspectives.
In the beginning, I had trouble understanding his writing because I have never delved into philosophy before, but eventually I got the hang of it (most of the time). Don't give up on the book if you face the same problem.
This is by no means a light read. He will not ...more
In the beginning, I had trouble understanding his writing because I have never delved into philosophy before, but eventually I got the hang of it (most of the time). Don't give up on the book if you face the same problem.
This is by no means a light read. He will not ...more
May 09, 2014
Miss
added it
It took me too long to finish this book, because every section is a book of knowledge. Tariq asked many important questions -everyone should ask at some level- about life and its meaning. Even though he didn't give direct answers, the way he discussed the questions was helpful enough to draw a good path to achieve the best responses. Absolutely a great book, and I am adding it to re-read shelve. I aim to study it, not just read it.
I recommend it to those who feel lost and confused int his world ...more
I recommend it to those who feel lost and confused int his world ...more
I give up. I know this is great book, I tried my best to understand and grasp the message, but I just couldn't do it.
I wish Ramadan had been a little direct and clear in his writing so people who have zero understanding of Philosphy could decipher what he was trying to say. The parts that made sense were pretty good but most of the time I found myself staring at the book in confusion.
So yeah 1 star for you Ramadan just 1. ...more
I wish Ramadan had been a little direct and clear in his writing so people who have zero understanding of Philosphy could decipher what he was trying to say. The parts that made sense were pretty good but most of the time I found myself staring at the book in confusion.
So yeah 1 star for you Ramadan just 1. ...more
An eye-opening, moving experience. Very dense and full of ideas and abstractions, a little hard for me to follow as I often found myself needing to reread some sentences, even pages to understand what was being discussed. A slow read (plus I'm a slow reader, so it took me around 3 weeks to get through), but at the end of the day, so worth it. A must-read.
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My first attempt to read The Quest for Meaning was back in 2013, to be honest I was confused by the density of information and some complicated terms during the first chapters.
Today, I think that it was a good decision to postpone reading The Quest for Meaning, this book is a must read for anyone who consider himself open-minded or a philosophy student.
Today, I think that it was a good decision to postpone reading The Quest for Meaning, this book is a must read for anyone who consider himself open-minded or a philosophy student.
Probably the longest I've taken to complete a book. I read a chapter, processed it, read another book... and picked it up again. It's just that kind of book. And once I got to the end, I wanted to read it again. I know the next time round I'll have a new understanding of it's message.
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Some good ideas, but the book was boring and very tedious to read.
brilliant and a very mature piece
An essential read for all.
I think this was spiritually provoking and a reflection of my own understanding.
The most eloquent book that addresses the big questions in life.
Most enjoyable. The quest though is still on.
This book is indeed a journey and initiation.
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Tariq Ramadan is the son of Said Ramadan and Wafa Al-Bana, who was the eldest daughter of Hassan al Banna, who in 1928 founded the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Gamal al-Banna, the liberal Muslim reformer is his great-uncle. His father was a prominent figure in the Muslim Brotherhood and was exiled by Gamal Abdul Nasser[3] from Egypt to Switzerland, where Tariq was born.
Tariq Ramadan studied Philo ...more
Tariq Ramadan studied Philo ...more
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“Humility is my table, respect is my garment, empathy is my food and curiosity is my drink. As for love, it has a thousand names and is by my side at every window.”
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“We have to watch the world, and watch ourselves, with the humility of those who know, in the very depths of their being, that learning to become human is a process that never ends.”
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