Publications of Dr Soroush in Persian

The Theory of Evolution of Religious Knowledge or- Text in Context (Qabz va Bast-e Teoric Shari'at - ya Nazariyeh-ye Takamol-e Marefat-e Dini)
The most controversial of all his books. Published in 1368 A.H (1989 AD), this is a collection of articles that had earlier appeared in the monthly journal "Kayhan-e Farhangi" and had caused much controversy even then. The book has gone through four impressions, twenty thousand copies being published. In this book he presents a detailed discussion on the subject of the evolution of religion, explaining that religious knowledge is distinct from religion itself - the former being one among many of the branches of human knowledge and in interaction and transaction with them so that if the other branches of knowledge are subject to change and transformation, one can expect religious knowledge also to go through transformations. Dr Soroush has also proposed the mechanism for this transformation, emphasising that, in reality, it is the human beings' understanding of religion that constitutes religious knowledge.

Intellectualism and Religious Conviction (Roshanfekri va Dindari)
This book highlights elements of intellectualism as well as religiosity, and seeks to explain how they can be reconciled with each other. Here Soroush also draws a comparison between the two different approaches to understanding religion adopted by Motahhari and Shariati.

Knowledge and Value (Danesh va Arzesh)
This is on the subject of the Philosophy of Ethics and in the main addresses the relation between "is" and "ought" and unveils a hidden fallacy in a kind of Scientific Ethics. By ``Scientific Ethics'' Soroush means Ethics that are based on Science and seek to derive (ethical) values from that which "is" and from descriptions of things.

Lectures on Ethics and Human Sciences (Tafarroj-e Son'a)
Since during the period of the closure of universities the Social Sciences were coming under severe attack, Soroush rose to the challenge of defending them. He published sixteen articles in the monthly journal SOROUSH (no relation) which together with a few other articles were later compiled and published in this book.

Attributes of the Pious (Owsaf-e Parsayan)
Elaboration of one of Imam Ali's famous sermons in Nahjol-Balagheh, known as "Sermon of the Pious". The book is based on a series of lectures delivered at Imam Sadegh Mosque, Tehran.

The Story of the Lords of Wisdom (Ghesseh-ye Arbab-e Ma'refat)
This comprises an exposition of the thoughts of great men such as Ghazzali, Maulawi (Rumi), Hafiz, and Dr Shari`ati. It is a collection of articles separately written and previously published in Kayhan-e Farhangi and later in the journal Kiyan.

Wisdom and Subsistence,Second volume(Hekmat va Ma'eeshat)
This is the second volume of this series which interpret mostly the Imam Ali's letter to his son, Imam Hassan.

Sturdier Than Ideology (Farbeh Tar Az Idology).
This book is named after the most important article in it which discusses the subject of making religion equal to an ideology, and the role of the late Dr Shariati in doing so. By ``making religion equal to an ideology'', he means making out of religion a codified system, bereft of the element of perplexity, which is used as a weapon and is foe-generating and foe-seeking, and in particular stresses hatred more than it stresses love. He also points out that for making religion equal to an ideology it is necessary that there be an official group of interpreters for it; this being harmful to the religion, and even contrary to the late Ali Shariati's own view, seeing that he was not pleased with the clergy and did not regard their existence as an official class befitting to the religion's true esteem.

The Tale of Love and Servitude (Hadees-e Bandegi va Delbordegi)
This book is on the subject of du`a (religious prayer or supplication).

Rumi's Mathnavi (Mathnavi Ma'navi)
A new edition of mathnavi, with introduction and corrections by Dr Soroush. Published in Autumn 1996.

Modara va Modiriyyat(Administration and Tolerance)
This book contains the fundamentals of Dr Soroush's socio-political essays of the last couple of years. This has been published with 800 pages in 1997(1376). One feature of this work is that it also contains some of the critics' articles. This will not only assist the reader towards a better understanding and clearer assessment of the issues under study, it will also demonstrate part of the history of Iran's contemporary thought.

Political Letter (Siyasat-Nameh)
This book is a collection of Dr Soroush's letters to Iranian top authorities, whether open and private letters, published in 1999(1378)

Expansion of Prophetic Experience(Bast-e Tajrobeh-yi Nabavi)
This book contains the essays on religion and religious experience in the last couple of years. This has been published with 380 pages in 1999(1378). The book should be considered the second volume of "Text in Context". As the subject of the latter book is the evolution of religion, explaining that religious knowledge is distinct from religion itself, the former book explains the historicity of religion and religious experience.

Translations:His lecturing on the Philosophy of Empirical Sciences and also the Philosophy of Social Sciences led him to translate some important books and articles in these fields, thus making them accessible to the university students. These include Alan Ryan's The Philosophy of Social Sciences which is a set of articles on philosophy of science in the Encyclopaedia of Philosophy edited by Paul Edwards; Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Sciences which is a neoclassical text by Edwin A. Burtt with a detailed introduction that Soroush added to it and made it up-to-date; and finally the Social Science Explanation by D. Little.