PhD Degree Awarded to Ms. Manal Taha Ahmed Al-Jarrash in Philosophy

Ms. Manal Taha Ahmed Al-Jarrash‎ was awarded a PhD degree in Philosophy for her dissertation titled: The Reason Between Theism and Atheism, which was submitted to the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts and Humanities – Sana’a University. The dissertation defense was held on Wednesday, December 31, 2025.

The PhD Viva-Voce Committee, which was formed based on a resolution issued by the Graduate Studies and Scientific Research Council, consisted of the following:

The study aimed to evaluate reason within the frameworks of atheism and faith by clarifying how both perspectives conceptualize reason in its ontological and epistemological dimensions. The study was organized into four main sections:

• Chapter One examined reason in terms of its nature and epistemic role, establishing a general theoretical framework by clarifying the concept of reason within the two major philosophical approaches addressing it, namely monism and dualism.

• Chapter Two addressed reason as an epistemic tool between atheism and faith, discussing both perspectives’ positions on rational principles, the importance of these principles in establishing empirical science, and their respective stances toward experimental science.

• Chapter Three explored the nature of reason between atheism and faith and examined the position of science with regard to both perspectives.

• Chapter Four presented the implications and commitments entailed by both the atheistic and faith-based conceptions of reason.

The study yielded a number of key findings summarized as follows:

• A contradiction was found within the materialist atheistic position in its view of reason as an epistemic tool, particularly with regard to the nature of reason itself.

• The atheistic interpretation of reason was found to be neither rationally nor scientifically acceptable.

• Since every worldview necessarily entails specific commitments, the study identified four implications for each of the two perspectives—atheistic and faith-based.

• Although both perspectives draw support from scientific evidence, the study concluded that neither the atheistic perspective nor the faith-based perspective ultimately provides a complete explanation of reason.

The dissertation defense was attended by a number of academics, researchers, and specialists, students, colleagues, and the researcher’s family.

A video from the Viva-Voce