Dr. Arash Naraghi 

Professor of Philosophy and Religion,
Program Director for Ethics

Contact

Email: naraghia@moravian.edu
Telephone: 610-625-7835 
Office: Comenius Room 106

Education

Dr. Arash Naraghi is a Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Moravian University. He received his Ph. D. in Philosophy (focusing on Ethics and Philosophy of Religion) from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He also has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Tehran University, Iran.

Curriculum Vitae

Areas of Research and/or Expertise

• Applied Ethics: Social Ethics, Ethics of Human Rights, Ethics of Gender and Sexuality.
• Meta-Ethics: The Logic of Moral Dilemmas.
• Philosophy of Religion and Islamic Philosophy: God’s Foreknowledge, Arguments for the Existence of God, the Problem of Evil.
• Reformist Movements in Contemporary Islam: Models of Reconstruction/Reform of Islamic Thought.
• Contemporary Shi’i Theology: Shi’i Political Theories- The Theory of Velayat-e Faqih.
• Islamic Mysticism: The School of Khurassan: Al-Ghazali, Rumi, Abu Saeed Abul-Khayr.

Recent Articles

• “Trans-conceptual Consciousness and Experience of the Transcendental”, Andishe Pouya, Feb.  2016, pp.82-85 (Tehran).
• “The Qur’an and Human Rights of Sexual Minorities”,  in The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community of Iran: Examining Human Rights from Religious, Social, Legal and Cultural Perspectives,  International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, 2015.
• “Ayatollah Khomeini’s Theory of Government”, in Politics and Culture in Contemporary Iran: Challenging the Status Quo, Abbas Milani and Larry Diamond, Eds., Lynne Rienner Publishes, Inc. 2015.

Recent Books

• Sunnat wa Ofogh-hai Goshodeh (Critical Traditionalism: A New Model of Reform in Islamic Thought), Tehran, Negah-e Moasser, 2016.
• Modara va Madanyyat (Toleration and Civility: Essays on Social Ethics).  Tehran, 1st edition 2014, 2^nd edition 2016.
• Hadith-e Hazer va Qayeb (A Theology of Absence: An Islamic Experience), Negah-e Moasser, Tehran, 1^st edition, 2011.

Recent Conference Presentations

• “Understanding the Qur’an within the Limits of Justice: The Issue of Gay and Lesbian Rights in Islamic World”, presented at the Conference on “Freedom of Religion or Belief and Sexuality” organized by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of religion and belief and Muslims for Progressive Values, Geneva, Switzerland, June 8^th to 10^th.
• “Philosophical Approach to the Problematic of Islam and Homosexuality”, Presented at University of Dayton, hosted by Philosophy Department, April 21^st, 2016.
• “Consciousness and Mysticism”, presented at Iranian Community at University of Texas at Dallas, April 9^th, 2016.
• “God, Tragic Dilemmas, and the Problem of Gratuitous Evil”, Presented at Society for Philosophy of Religion, San Antonio, TX, Feb. 2016.
• “God, Tragic Dilemmas, and the Problem of Gratuitous Evil,” Presented at Moravian University, Faculty Luncheon, Oct. 2015.
• “Mysticism, Consciousness, and Modern Psychology”, presented for Iranian PhD students at Princeton University, July 2015.
• “God, Mind, and Literature”, Presented for Iranian Ph.D. Students at Princeton University, April 5, 2014.

Recent TV Appearances

• BBC Persian (Pargar Program): “A Debate on the Problem of Evil”, Part I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws9hcZk6tO0&list=PLmdEvtplre60WPMMz9qNoDM81vp0VOaMQ
• BBC Persian (Pargar Program): “A Debate on the Problem of Evil”, Part II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vrp_4XkiD8&feature=youtu.be
• BBC Persian (Safheh 2 Program): “Are Human Rights Universal?”  (from 37 to 52 mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwirOGbs374
• BBC Persian: “A Debate on the Future of Religious Intellectualism (Modernism in Islam)” Part I and Part II. Participants: Arash Naraghi, Hassan Eshkevari, Soroush Dabbagh, in Pargar Program, Produced and Broadcasted by BBC Persian, London, England.
  • Part I, Broadcasted on 10/02/2012:  Link to the Podcast: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/pargar/pargar_20121002-1100a.mp3
  • Part II, Broadcasted on 10/07/2012: Link to the Podcast: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/pargar/pargar_20121009-1100a.mp3
• BBC Persian: “A Debate on Islam and Euthanasia”, Participants: Arash Naraghi and Professor Mohsen Kadivar (Duke University), Pargar Program, Produced and Broadcasted by BBC Persian on 12/03/2012.  Link to the Podcast: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/pargar/pargar_20121203-2000a.mp3

Courses

Philosophy

• 110 Critical Thinking
• 120 Introduction to Philosophy
• 220 Advanced Logic
• 224 Applied Ethics
• 241 Ancient Philosophy
• 253 Philosophy of Religion
• 259 Medical Ethics
• 279 Philosophy of Law
• 313 Philosophy of Science
• 351 Epistemology
• 355 Meta-Ethics

Religion

• 115 Major Themes of the Qur’an
• 125 Introduction to Islam
• 231 Atheism
• 248 Religion and Literature
• 253 Philosophy of Religion
• 261 Islamic Philosophy, Theology, and Mysticism
• 264 Science and Theology