Meaning and oneness: a Burrellian reading of Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s approach to religious language
PhD ceremony: | J. (Javad) Taheri, Dr |
When: | March 21, 2024 |
Start: | 12:45 |
Supervisor: | C. (Christoph) Jedan, Prof |
Co-supervisor: | G. (Gorazd) Andrejc, PhD |
Where: | Academy building RUG / Student Information & Administration |
Faculty: | Religion, Culture and Society |

This thesis produces a detailed study of the philosophy of religion, and especially the theory of religious language, of ʿAllāmih Siyyid Muḥammad Ḥusiyn-i Ṭabāṭabāʾī, a prominent figure in Shi’a philosophy. It reads Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s work through the prism of David Burrell’s neo-Wittgensteinianism. A particular focus in this thesis is Ṭabāṭabāʾī’s principle of ‘focal meaning’, which serves as a tool to speak of God in an analogical way, allowing Ṭabāṭabāʾī to conceptualise both the transcendence of God and the connection to the realm of creation.
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