PURPOSE OF HUMAN EXISTENCE AND MORAL AGENCY: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ISLAMIC TELEOLOGY AND SECULAR NATURALISM
Keywords:
Human Existence, Moral Agency, Islamic Teleology, Secular Naturalism, Religious and Philosophical ThoughtAbstract
The relationship between human existence and moral agency remains a central concern in both religious and philosophical thought, yet contemporary debates often treat purpose and ethics as analytically separable. This article addresses this gap by examining how underlying conceptions of human existence shape moral agency through a comparative analysis of Islamic teleology and secular naturalism. While Islamic thought grounds human existence in a divinely ordained purpose (ghāyah) structured by the principle of Tawḥīd, secular naturalism explains human life through evolutionary processes and typically frames meaning and morality as contingent human constructions. Adopting a qualitative conceptual methodology, the study combines thematic analysis of contemporary philosophical literature with a semantic examination of key Qurʾānic concepts related to purpose, accountability, and human responsibility. It argues that these contrasting ontological frameworks generate fundamentally different models of moral agency: in the Islamic teleological perspective, moral responsibility is anchored in transcendence and accountability before God, whereas in secular naturalism, moral agency is grounded in autonomy and self-legislation. The analysis demonstrates that Islamic teleology provides an integrated framework linking purpose, accountability, and ethical conduct, thereby reinforcing internal moral regulation and existential coherence. In contrast, secular naturalism allows for pluralistic but potentially fragmented moral frameworks due to its rejection of intrinsic purpose. By foregrounding the connection between metaphysical assumptions and moral behavior, this study contributes to broader discussions on ethics, worldview formation, and the philosophical foundations of human flourishing in contemporary societies.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
