Epistemological Foundations of Natural Sciences in Islam
- 1 Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- 2 College of Humanities & Social Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Abstract
Every scientific system relies on a particular civilization and cultural origin. Islamic science is no exception to this rule and is dependent on Islamic civilization and derived from its specific intellectual and epistemological system. This intellectual system that relies on the teachings of the revelation gives rise to an insight into the world as a metaphysical backbone and philosophical presuppositions in science and scientific work. Islamic science, based on Islamic epistemology, is influenced by religious propositions in various aspects. An Islamic scholarly tradition that emerged in the golden age of Islam is an example of this science. In this period of history, a close connection between Islamic worldview and epistemological foundations in all branches of science, especially natural sciences, can be established. Here, we have addressed the theory of Islamic science and discussed about the foundations of Islamic epistemology and its impact on determining the subject, purpose, and methods of research in the natural sciences in Islamic civilization. The present study discerns Islamic science as a science based on Islamic epistemology.
- Abdullah, M., & Nadvi, M. J. (2011). Understanding the Principles of Islamic World-View. The Dialogue, 6, 268-289.
- Al-Farabi. (1996). kitāb ihsā´ al-`ulūm (On the Introduction of Knowledge). Beirut: Dar al-Maktabah al-Halal.
- Al-Nafis. (1988). Kitab Sharh Tashreeh Al-Qanun (Commentary on the Anatomy of the Canon). Cairo: The Supreme Council for Culture and the Egyptian Book Burea.
- Al-Tusi, K. N. (1947). Asas al-iqtibas (The Ground for the Acquisition of Knowledge). Tehran: Tehran University Press.
- Azram, M. (2012). Epistemology: An Islamic Perspective. IIUM Engineering Journal Engineering Journal, 12. https://doi.org/10.31436/iiumej.v12i5.240
- Barbour, I. G. (1968). Science and Religion Today. In I. G. Barbour, Ed., Science and Religion: New Perspectives on the Dialogue (pp. 3-29). New York: Evanston and London: Harper & Row.
- Dallal, A. (2002). Islamic Paradigms for the Relationship between Science and Religion. In T. Peters, M. Iqbal, & S. Nomanul Haq, Eds., God, Life, and the Cosmos: Christian and Islamic Perspectives. London: Routledge.
- Falagas, M. E., Zarkadoulia, E. A., & Samonis, G. (2006). Arab Science in the Golden Age (750-1258 C.E.) and Today. The FASEB Journal, 20, 1581-1586. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.06-0803ufm
- Ferngren, G. B. (2002). Science and Religion: A Historical Introduction. Baltimore: JHU Press.
- Golshani, M. (1998). Can Science Dispense with Religion? (3rd Edition). Tehran: Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies.
- Golshani, M. (2005). Sacred Science vs. Secular Science. In Z. A. Bagir, Ed., Science and Religion in a Post-Colonial World (pp. 77-102). Adelaide: AFT Press.
- Hall, M. B. (1994). The Scientific Renaissance: 1450-1630. New York: Dover Publications.
- Hoodbhoy, P. (1991). Islam and Science: Religious Orthodoxy and the Battle for Rationality. London: Zed Books Ltd.
- Hunke, S. (1960). Allahs Sonne über dem Abendland (Allah’s Sun over the Occident). Stuttgart: Unser arabisches Erbe.
- Ibn Sina, A. (1983). al-Shifa: Al-Tabiaat. Qom: Marashi Najafi Library.
- Iqbal, M. (2009). The Making of Islamic Science. Kuala Lumpur: Islamic Book Trust.
- Kalin, I. (2002). Three Views of Science in the Islamic World. In T. Peters, M. Iqbal, & S. Nomanul Haq (Eds.), God, Life, and the Cosmos: Christian and Islamic Perspectives (34 p.). London: Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315253992