Nature of Social Science

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To attempt the development of an Islamic Economics, it is essential to have a deep understanding of the nature of Western Social Science. Western scholars claim that Social Science is the same as Physical Science: objective, factual, verifiable, empirical. Deeper analysis is needed to see that these claims are wrong. Essential readings on this issue are cited below. My own papers give summaries of the issues in question. The original references cover the topics in depth and detail, but require substantially more time and effort to read.

1: Zaman,Asad "An Islamic Approach to Humanities," Journal of King Abdul Aziz University, v. 27 #2, p3-27, 2014/1435

2, “Origins of Western Social Science” Journal of Islamic Economics, Banking and Finance, vol 5, number 2, 2009. [JIEBF Journal Homepage]

3: “Improving Social Science Education in Pakistan,” Lahore Journal of Policy Studies Vol. 2 No. 1, June 2008. [View]

4: Directions for Muslim Scholars in Social Sciences, to appear in Proceedings of Third Arab-Turkish Congress of Social Sciences, May 2013, Istanbul

Tragedy of Morals and Birth of Science in the West

(under preparation) (by Asad Zaman)

Abstract: How Birth of Science in conflict with religion gave strong methodological bias to the way science was viewed in the West. In particular, the exaggeration of the potential of science of settling ethical, moral and human problems led to a very distorted foundation for social sciences. The social sciences have been ideologically constituted in the sense that they were based on false beliefs about what the physical sciences are. The upshot is that there is room for a thoroughgoing revolution in the received ideas of science natural and social (quote from Manicas).

It is only after such re-organization that room for a reasonable foundation for Islamic Economics would emerge. In this paper, we hope to provide such foundations.

Sources:

Peter Manicas: A History and Philosophy of the Social Sciences

Part I: details historical circumstances that led to an easy victory for empiricism/positivism even though realist alternatives were available

Part II: Details special circumstances leading to emergence of modern social sciences in USA.

Hans Kung: Does God Exist?

Himmelfarb: De-Moralization of the West

Tawney: Religion and the Rise of Capitalism

Reuben, Julie: The Making of the Modern University: Intellectual transformation and the marginalization of morality. 1996 University of Chicago Press.