Muhammad Arif Zakaullah - The Cross and the Crescent: The Rise of American Evangelicalism and the Future of Muslims

Socrates, the great Athenian philosopher, once said that self-regard, self-knowledge and self-control would lead men to sovereign power. The idea was that through understanding human nature one could determine how to live with others in successful communities, celebrating the unique qualities found in each human being, and recognising that sometimes individual interest must bow to the greater good. Thomas Hobbes, the English philosopher, wrote that persons should not do to others what they would not want others to do to them. The eighteenth-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant developed the concept of the categorical imperative, which states that individuals when considering a particular act that could impact others should also consider what the consequences would be if all others engaged in the same act. Rollo May, the psychologist, tells us that the truly mature human being is one who honours his or her talents and abilities, and puts these attributes in service to others, while at the same time honouring the talents and abilities found in others. One could argue that upon these basic concepts rest all flourishing and thriving human relationships.