The Ontology of Growth Mindset: A Cross-Cultural Philosophical Synthesis of Carol S. Dweck’s Empirical Psychology and Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī’s Theological Epistemology

Since its conceptualisation in modern cognitive psychology, the growth mindset paradigm has profoundly shaped academic discourses on human cognitive malleability and existential self-transformation. However, its prevailing secular framing often lacks ontological depth regarding human agency. This article undertakes a cross-cultural philosophical synthesis of the ‘growth mindset’ by juxtaposing Carol S. Dweck’s contemporary empirical psychology with the classical theological epistemology and Qur’anic hermeneutics of Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, particularly through his exegesis in Mafātīḥ al-Ghayb. The research addresses a critical literature gap: while Dweck provides an empirical framework for cognitive malleability grounded in neuroplasticity and secular self-efficacy, al-Rāzī offers a sophisticated metaphysical inquiry into human agency (kasb and qudrah), intellectual disposition (fiṭrah), and cognitive transformation (taghyīr). Employing a stratified comparative-philosophical and hermeneutical framework, this study follows an iterative dialectical procedure.It critically assesses Dweck’s cognitive schemas against al-Rāzī’s ontological exposition of human potential, aiming to construct a synthesis that transcends the limitations of both individual paradigms. The analysis demonstrates that while Dweck’s framework offers actionable mechanisms for intellectual persistence, it remains vulnerable to materialist reductionism and instrumentalism. Conversely, al-Rāzī’s theology provides a teleological depth that anchors intellectual growth in moral responsibility and divine purposiveness. Ultimately, this study proposes “Ethical Adaptability” as a robust interdisciplinary paradigm—a synthesised mindset that marries unyielding moral accountability with dynamic cognitive resilience to navigate the systemic epistemic and moral crises of late modernity