Mehdi Golshani
The advances made during the last two hundred years in the physical and biological sciences have expanded our understanding of the world in an unprecedented manner. Similarly, the advances in the practical applications of science have given us enormous control over the forces of nature and the human mind. But the developments brought about by science and technology have been on the one hand beneficial to mankind and on the other hand detrimental also. On the one hand, scientific and technological knowledge has increased physical comforts, life expectancy and the standards of living beyond any expectation of our ancestors. On the other hand, science and technology have been used for the destruction of our fellow human beings and the pollution, of our environment. A large number of scientists have been working for military research establishments and producing means of mass destruction. The scientists exhibit hardly any concern for the havoc their professional skill was playing with the ecology and the well-being of humanity. Today, the priorities of scientific research reflect the interests of the scientific community or the wealthy or the powerful, at the expense of the needs of the poor and the oppressed. Science could well have been the source of happiness, welfare and the spiritual development of humanity. But the separation of knowledge, specially scientific knowledge from wisdom has led to insecurity, anxiety, immorality and the spiritual impoverishment of humanity.
The early signs of the misuse of science had led
Bertrand Russell express, as early as in the 1920s, his scepticism about
science being a total blessing for mankind. In his view, the bad effects of
science by itself cannot control human passion.
There is no doubt that the growth of human knowledge
has not led to human felicity and happiness. The question naturally arises as to
why science and its technological offspring have not promoted human welfare? It
seems clear that it is not scientific knowledge itself that can enhance the
quality of human life. Rather, it is its aims and applications that determine,
and these are in turn determined by the scientists' worldview.
The ill effect of scientific knowledge has been due to
the limitations of its underlying worldview. It is presumably for this reason
that the religions of the world have urged the seekers of knowledge to combine
it with wisdom. It is wisdom that helps knowledge to be used for good rather
than evil. Wisdom enables knowledge to serve as a beneficial guide for life,
giving it meaning and direction.
Characteristics of Wisdom
According to English Language Dictionary, Wisdom is
defined as: “Knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as
to action.” Thus, wisdom has the following characteristics:
(i) an inclusive framework or worldview which gives rise
to an integrative thinking and a global perspective;
(ii) the ability to make proper use of knowledge;
(iii) the capacity for reasoned judgment;
(iv) far-sightedness (that is, -paying attention to the
long-term effects and seeing how one's aims fit the ultimate goal of human
life);
(v) a sensitive awareness of the ethical implications
of one's actions.
Another characteristic that is emphasized by all the
three well-known monotheistic religions-Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - God
-consciousness. Thus we read in the Bible: “...and if you look for it (wisdom)
as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will
understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”(Proverbs 2:4-5)
Similarly, it is narrated from the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)
that: The peak of wisdom is fearing God."
Wisdom in the Islamic Perspective
The Holy Qur'an mentions hikmah (wisdom) 20 times and in
more than ten cases it is accompanied by the word “Book” Thus, we read:
"He it is Who hath sent among the unlettered ones
a messenger of their own, to recite unto them His revelation and to make them
grow, and to teach them the Scripture and Wisdom, though heretofore they were
indeed in error manifest”. (62:2)
It is quite evident that one of the main function of
the prophets (Peace be upon them) was the instruction and propagation of
wisdom. Furthermore, the Qur'an classify
wise as possessing abundant good:
“He grants wisdom -to whom He pleases, and whoever is
granted wisdom, he is indeed given a great good....” (2:269)
In sum, the acquisition of wisdom equips one with an
understanding of some important aspects of reality and the distinction
between the truth and falsehood, between good and evil.
Were we to look to the Qur'an we will find in it
mention of God's granting wisdom to Luqman (31:12) as well as some examples of
the wisdom manifested from his sayings (31:13-19). These comprise both the
theoretical and practical aspects of wisdom, including an emphatic exhortation
that:
(i) one should commit oneself to God and to worship
Him;
(ii) one should be concerned for the hereafter;
(iii) one should be conscious of one's responsibilities
towards oneself, one's family, and others; and
(iv) One should enjoin good and forbid evil.
Looking at the matter from an Islamic perspective the
sciences of nature should be key to our cognition of the signs of God in-universe. They can 'also be instrumental in solving individual and social
problems without interrupting the cosmic order. Furthermore, knowledge should
be directed towards God. Alternatively, scientific knowledge can become a
demonic tool that can throw humanity into an abyss.
The Qur'anic outlook for the augmentation of knowledge
and wisdom can be realised by embracing the inclusive theistic worldview.
Why Wisdom is Absent in our Era?
There are several major causes for the divorce of
knowledge from wisdom in our era:
1. Contemporary science is overly disposed to
specialization. But due to excessive specialization in our time, there is the fragmentation of knowledge both across and within the various disciplines. This
has led to a lack of integral vision of scientists and pursuing narrow
interests. Thus, science has become negligent of the wholeness of the
environment and of human responsibility towards the rest of the creation.
It is true that with the expansion of human knowledge there
is no choice but to opt for specialization. But that does not mean that one has
to disregard areas of human knowledge other than one's own and be disinterested
in the relationship between one's field of inquiry and other fields.
Centres of higher learning should establish a new
relationship between natural science and humanities, and between all fields
of knowledge and human life and social needs. This would promote human welfare and
social progress.
2. The idea of the separation of facts and values is, practically speaking, a myth. This is
because scientific work does not take place in a human vacuum, as values
outside science creep into the scientific practice at the human level. In fact,
every scientific work involves in the choice of theories or in the application
of science. Another reason for the neglect of the ethical dimension in the
scientific enterprise is the excessive preoccupation of scientists with their specialized
concerns and their obsession with the success of their programmes.
The disregard of ethical considerations in science has
weakened the scientist's sense of responsibility regarding the outcome of their
scientific enterprises, and this, in turn, has contributed to the degradation of
the human condition on the globe.
3. During the Middle
Ages and in the early modern period, the pursuit of science was for the sake of
contemplating God's handiwork rather than securing material benefits. In the
prevalent secular context, science is sought for the control and manipulation
of nature and society.
In our era, there are two main considerations for the
promotion of science and technology: seeking science for the sake of science
and 'seeking science for material goals and power. The idea of 'science for the
sake of science, 'however, has led to the emphasis on information gathering rather
than understanding, understanding what that information is about. With the emergence of the so-called big science the goal of scientific and technological
research are increasingly set by the industries or governments whose objective
id not truth but knowledge for the sake of wealth, power, and domination.
4.
Contemporary physical science is solely based on an empirical approach
to reality, an approach that regards the knowledge rooted in science and data
alone as reliable. This science considers the physical world as all that is and
tends to see no room for God in the natural order, ignoring or denying the spiritual dimension of the human being.
5. The dominant
view among contemporary scientists is that science can adequately account
for everything. But due to the limitations of its scope, science per se deals
only with certain aspects of reality and cannot comprehend the reality in its
wholeness. It simply cannot handle moral questions, and it leaves many of the
so-called ultimate questions of humanity unanswered – such as what are we doing
here? What is the purpose of life?
The dominant worldview not only leaves all ultimate
questions of human concern unanswered, it even denies the validity of those
questions. Thus, the meaning of life has lost its significance, and human
beings, under the overwhelming more and more material well-being at the expense
of spiritual felicity. To remedy this, one has to note that scientific
knowledge is not only of valid knowledge and there are other human areas of
knowledge that can illuminate these issues. To handle these insistent deeper
issues, science must yield relevance to humanities.
Conclusion
Scientific knowledge and its technological
applications have brought humanity both a number of blessings and curses. Now
it so happens that some of these curses threaten the future of the entire
globe. It has also been pointed out that this is mainly due to the fact that
the current knowledge is generally devoid of wisdom, and that this, in turn, is
rooted in the prevalence of a secular worldview. The scientists following this
worldwide are generally content with the results of their work, forgetting that
science should be an instrument to serve -rather than to control human beings.
In a theistic context, however, science is accompanied by wisdom. Thus it can
be used for solving individual and societal problems which will lead both to
God's pleasure and to humanity's welfare. In the theistic context, nature is
viewed as a trust from God that should be handled properly. Thus all plans for
scientific progress and technological development should be in harmony with the
cosmic order.
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