Western Philosophies of Research and Fundamentals of Islamic Paradigm

Abstract

[Ontological position, referring to one’s philosophy of what really exists in the world, and epistemological practice, based on that presumption, play a fundamental role in the design, conduct and results of research. Different theories, philosophies and presumptions regarding the reality in the world remained in practice throughout the history of man’s quest for finding truth in the world. The modern discourse on ontology and epistemology has its roots in a certain socio-political, cultural and civilizational environment of Renaissance, Reformation and Enlightenment periods, which were hallmark of conflict between the Church and science. Since then, the philosophies relating to the nature of ‘reality’ and the corresponding credible methods of enquiry into that reality have been very influential in shaping the intellectual minds of present times. It is also true that these philosophies have also been criticized for their shortcomings and fallacies which give way to the questions such as ‘Is there any alternate theorization in the field of research and science?’ Muslim scholars and scientists claim that there is a rich heritage of Islamic theories of research which has guided the development of knowledge and science in the Muslim world for centuries. In this context, this paper explores the questions: whether the ontological framework of western philosophies is comprehensive enough to account for the social complexity that the researchers witness during the course of their research; whether Islamic philosophies of research are in a position to provide an alternate to the Western ones; and whether it is possible to develop theories for the applied research with the alternate Islamic perspective in the contemporary context – Eds.]