The Aesthetics Argument from the Perspective of Robin Collins

Document Type : علمی پژوهشی

Authors

• maryam seif ¹
• farah ramin ²

¹ Ph.D. Student in Philosophy and Theology, University of Qom

² Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, University of Qom

10.22067/epk.2024.80214.1200

Abstract

Beauty and its nature are of the most controversial philosophical topics among philosophers. Among the ancient Greek and medieval philosophers, beauty, goodness, truth, and justice have been raised. Some Western thinkers have raised beauty and its truth in such a way that it led to the emergence of one of the arguments for proving the existence of God. The nature of beauty and how to prove the existence of God through the beauties of the world and the relationship between beauty and successful sciences is an issue that Robin Collins has addressed, and this research attempts to examine and analyze his views. Accordingly, the author attempts to study and examine the dimensions of this issue by raising minor questions and using a descriptive-analytical method. The research findings show that this argument attempts to prove the existence of God through two epistemological and ontological methods. These methods focus on our ability to recognize beauty or on the existence of beauty itself. Collins's view on beauty is particularly rich and prominent, and it has become clear that he considers simplicity with variety to be the criterion of beauty. Collins also puts epistemology and ontology together and believes in the alignment between human aesthetics and successful theories of science. By recognizing the world as the work of the Creator and emphasizing that beauty is human-centered, he proves the existence of God, the Creator of beauty. Although challenges such as hasty action and lack of clarity of reasoning have come to this argument, this argument is still the center of attention as a new innovation in the contemporary century.

Keywords

• aesthetics argument
• aesthetics
• epistemology
• ontology
• Robin Collins
• existence of God

Main Subjects

• Islamic Philosophy and Kalam

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