Abstract

This chapter offers a systematic and comprehensive overview of Bahá’í theology and philosophy. Since Bahá’í thought is still in very nascent stages of development, without any established philosophical or theological schools, it is discussed within the comparative framework of what has already been long established in both of these scholarly fields. Bahá’í religious texts contain a great many philosophical passages and speculation, sometimes of a highly technical nature. Bahá’í scriptures make use of such Aristotelian terms as ‘essence’, ‘substance’, ‘essential and accidental attributes’, ‘four-fold causality’, ‘potentiality and its actualization’, and so on. In addition to Aristotelian philosophical ideas, the Bahá’í Writings make use of a Neoplatonist concept of emanation. Overall, the chapter explores Bahá’í views in the areas of epistemology, ontology, philosophical anthropology, philosophy of religion and history, social and political philosophy, ethics, and aesthetics.