Abstract
Philosophy drives humankind to identify problems, make classifications and think about finding a relevant solution. In order to form a more integrated philosophy of Islamic science, discussions need to contain three important elements, namely ontology, epistemology and axiology, which enhances these discussions. What is the focus in the literature by philosophers of Islamic science? What differentiates the philosophy of Islamic science and the philosophy of modern science? Thus, this study has two objectives, namely to determine the meaning of the philosophy of Islamic science and to analyse the trends in the literature pertaining to the ontology, epistemology and axiology of Islamic science. This library study found that discussions on the philosophy of Islamic science contained three elements, such as
Keywords: PhilosophyIslamic scienceepistemologyontologyaxiology
Introduction
Discussions on the philosophy of science have gone through its own process. Before the emergence of modern science, science was presumed to be a field of knowledge that evolved from time to time (Othman, 2017). According to Azhar (2013), it can determine when science, as a process, actually began. It could have begun during the primitive age, then went through the Palaeolithic age and moved through the civilization era that was beginning to develop and progress. At that time society was complex and a system for measuring development was introduced. Society began to start thinking, doing research as well as adducing various scientific ideas. This process was eventually called philosophy. Human civilization requires effort of manifestation of values in the scope of their own perspective. The statement above can be proved by the strong backup with meaning of science itself, it is values and includes the cultural worldview formed by human itself.
Problem Statement
At this moment in time, science was presumed to be important because it had a big impact on the philosophy of human thinking. The rise and development of the Islamic science discipline is evident in its effects until today. Among the fields of knowledge that have been affected by the development of science are astronomy, geography, physics, mathematics, cosmology, biology, medicine, pharmacy, architecture, education, zoology, botany, engineering and much more (Awang, 2003; Mohd Salleh, 2014; Suyurno, Sarwan, & Ramlan, 2006). Hence, the study on the philosophy of science in general is divided into three types, which is natural science, social science and applied science. Natural science includes physics, zoology, biology, chemistry etc. Unnatural science includes geography, history, economics, social science etc., while applied science involves fields such as engineering, medicine, electronics etc. (Noordin, 1992).
According to Awang (2003), all these fields contribute towards the development of civilization. It also symbolises the achievement of science and technology that drives humans towards a sense of humility and respect for knowledge. Usually the window to knowledge in limited to empirical knowledge but according to Islam, this also involves metaphysical and supernatural knowledge. Therefore, discussions on the philosophy of Islamic science should contain epistemology, ontology and axiology, either directly or indirectly.
Research Questions
This study has two research questions
What is the meaning of the philosophy of Islamic science?
What is the trend of Islamic science philosophy study?
Purpose of the Study
In order to satisfy this prerequisite, this study has two objectives, which is to determine the meaning of the philosophy of Islamic science and analyse the trends in literature pertaining to this philosophy. Thus, to fulfil these two objectives, this study was divided into three, namely the meaning of the philosophy of Islamic science, analysis of literature pertaining to the philosophy of Islamic science and overall conclusions.
Research Methods
This study was qualitative in nature and used secondary data for reference and analysis (Neuman, 2014). In more detail, this study examined journals, books, chapters in books, theses and articles that focused on research regarding values and ethics in disciplines related to the philosophy of Islamic science
Findings
The Definition of the Philosophy of Islamic Science
In order to facilitate discussions in this section, the discussions were divided into two, namely the definition of philosophy and Islamic science. At the end of this section, this study will offer definitions that will be used throughout this working paper. From the aspect of epistemology, the word ‘
‘Sains’ originated from the Latin word
According to other Islamic scholars, science refers to a process that explains the phenomenon of the universe using certain methods that are characteristically scientific, but does not go beyond the boundary of the
Literature Analysis: Philosophy of Islamic Science
Based on observations of previous studies, three main themes have been identified, namely the ontology, epistemology and axiology of Islamic science. The discussions on these studies are established in the following section.
Ontology of Islamic Science
Ontology means the study of Islamic Scientific Philosophy related to the existence of God, humans and the surrounding (Abdullah, 2010). Several scholars have discussed the existence of God from the
Discussions about the existence of the universe created by Allah SWT have been the focus of several scholars. It relates inextricably with science and technology on par with the demand of modernization. Several studies have prominently showed the consistency between religion and science (Yahya 2001; Bucaille, 1997; Zainal, 2014; Naik, 2014; Tawfik, 2008). These studies have shown that the truth behind the Quran and science is similar to the existence of the sky and the earth, the biological existence of humans, truth behind the prohibited (haram) consumption of alcohol and pork, advantage of dietary practices according to the
In the meantime, Ibrahim, Wan Abas, and Cheok (2009) had focused on the advantages of solat from the scientific aspect. The advantages are stated in detail and involve all solat movements, either individually or collectively in a group. Besides that, there are other studies that appear to be more focused (Ismail, 2016; Al-Dawamy, 1999; Mohd Yusof, 2016). Ismail (2016) and Al-Dawamy (1999), had shed some light on the secrets of the cosmos. The al-Qur’an often states that, whether directly or otherwise, the earth, the galaxy, the sky and other cosmic objects do have an impact on astronomy, the yearly calendar, seasons and sailing. In the meantime, Amir, Mohd Noor, and Ahmad Helmi (2012), had interpreted al-
Epistemology of Islamic Science
Epistemology or the theory of knowledge in Islamic Scientific Philosophy refers to the position and hierarchy of Islamic scientific knowledge (Abdullah, 2010). Katanegara (2016) and Misbahudin (2015) showed that the epistemology of knowledge based on the al-Qur’an in an integrated manner allows humans to understand Allah SWT better and everything He has created. Unlike Western knowledge that places sensory capability as the main source of knowledge, Islam places another source of knowledge that is far greater and absolute, which is divine deliverance or
Shah (2010) had dealt with epistemology from a different perspective, which referred to the challenge faced by the epistemology of Islamic science. The confusion about epistemology has led to the disharmony between science and the framework of Islamic thoughts. Looking at the challenges of epistemology, Azhar (2013) talked about the same issue but the details referred more to the expansion history, science and technology and how they are influenced by both epistemology and methodology. Unlike the studies mentioned earlier, Mahdi (2014) only examined the contributions of Ibn Khaldun’s thoughts. Ibn Khaldun is not only regarded as the pioneer of science, humanity and philosophy, but also for his contributions towards Islamic Scientific Philosophy. There are also other historical studies on Islamic science that only focus on the medical field, such as the study by Omar (2011). Meanwhile, Ab. Rahman, Sidik, & Mat Sidek, (2015) not only concentrated on the history of the medical field, but also investigated the impact of Islamic science on astronomy.
Ontology of Islamic Science
The theory of ethics and values in the philosophy of Islamic science is normally a study that discusses things that provide benefits or otherwise, whether materially or spiritually, and so on. Conclusively, the theory of values is either characteristically objective or subjective. (Abdullah, 2010). Isa (2009, 2013) has outlined discussions on the theory of values and ethics in a research method. According to the study, in order to ensure that research in the biotechnology field is at par with the current
Next, Alias (2016) had dealt with free values in scientific studies, especially in Islamic-oriented studies. The issues in scientific research have also attracted other scholars, as there were several issues that emerged in the philosophy or application in studies. For instance, some studies (Adebayo, 2015; Shaikh Mohd Salleh & Baharuddin, 2007; Badrussyamni, 2015) have elaborated on the importance of Islamizing science and its impact on the greatness of Islamic science, which is vital to prevent it from being influenced by modern science. Meanwhile, the study by Badrussyamni (2015) was slightly different as it only established the importance of spirituality and theology in the scientific aspects of Islam in general. Akhmetova (2016) focused on the contributions of science and technology in producing genetically modified food products but concerns were about issues related to religious, social and ethical based perspectives. Dimyati (2016) studied aspects of integrating spiritually into efforts that improve the value chains of farm products. The study found that spiritually enhances the development of attitudes, behaviours and habits necessary for better technical and economic performance.
Meanwhile, Amir (2016) examined the analysis of
Conclusion
Based on the examination of previous literature, there were three elements that were frequently discussed, namely ontology, epistemology and axiology, which are important elements in the philosophy of Islamic science. These three elements are differentiating factors between the philosophy of Islamic science and the philosophy of modern science. From a more in-depth perspective, the scholar’s contribution of ideas and thoughts had put
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23 September 2019
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Said*, S., & Hanapi, M. S. (2019). Philosophy Of Islamic Science: A Literature Study. In N. S. Mat Akhir, J. Sulong, M. A. Wan Harun, S. Muhammad, A. L. Wei Lin, N. F. Low Abdullah, & M. Pourya Asl (Eds.), Role(s) and Relevance of Humanities for Sustainable Development, vol 68. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences (pp. 312-319). Future Academy. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2019.09.34