TAWHID and SCIENCE Islamic Perspectives on Religion and Science

• Main Author: Osman Bakar (Author)
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Shah Alam, Selangor Arah Publications 2008; ©2008
• Edition: Second Edition
• Subjects: Philosophy, Islamic; Islam and science
• Online Access: Click Here to View Status and Holdings.
• Physical Description: xliv, 316 pages 22 cm
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references and index
• ISBN: 9789833718351; 9833718353; 9789833718320; 9833718329

From the foreword to the 1st edition: "The essays presented in this book deal with the various facets of the history and philosophy of Islamic science. By 'Islamic science' we mean the totality of the mathematical and natural sciences, including psychology and cognitive science, cultivated in Islamic culture and civilization for more than a millennium beginning from the 3rd century of the Islamic era (the 9th century of the Christian era). These sciences are Islamic not just because they have been produced by Muslims. As a matter of fact, many non-Muslims made important contributions to the growth and development of Islamic science. Rather. these sciences deserve the name 'Islamic science' because they are, conceptually speaking, organically related to the fundamental teachings of Islam, the most important of which is the principle of al-tawḥīd. This book seeks to reveal different dimensions of the organic link between al-tawḥīd and science as seen through Muslim scientific eyes. The essays cover four major themes, namely, (1) the epistemological foundation of Islamic science, (2) Man, Nature, and God in Islamic science, (3) Islamic science and the West, and (4) Islam and modern science. Through these essays, we seek to convey the important message that Islamic science, the most immediate predecessor of modern science, shares with the latter many outstanding features such as the rational and logical nature of its language, the adoption of scientific and experimental methods of inquiry, and the international character of its scientific practice and organization. However, we strongly feel that it is incumbent on us to highlight the fact that there are also important differences between the two sciences. Islamic science is at the same time of a religious character in the sense that it is consciously based upon the metaphysical, cosmological, epistemological, and ethical and moral principles of Islam. In light of its spiritual and moral conception of nature, Islamic science adopts goals and methodological principles that are different in several respects from those of modern science. In Islamic culture, the place of science in relation to other branches of knowledge such as the religious and social sciences is also somewhat different from the one we see in modern Western culture. A salient feature of our essays is their interdisciplinary character. We have also adopted a blend of historical and philosophical approaches to the study of Islamic science. We hope this book is of value to all who are concerned with the problem of knowledge in all its dimensions, whatever their discipline.