Yth. Bapak/Ibu, Kolega dan para Sahabat
dalam Kafilah Peradaban Religius-Humanistik
Assalamu’alaikum wr wb
Izinkan saya untuk menyampaikan informasi ilmiah-religius berikut. Saya berterima kasih jika Anda dapat meneruskan informasi ini, dan mohon maaf jika kurang berkenan menerima “Call for Papers” ini.
Terima kasih
Wassalamu’alaikum wr wb
Husain Heriyanto
Ketua SC International Conference – Thoughts on Human Sciences in Islam (IC-THuSI)
Sadra International Institute, Jakarta
CALL FOR PAPERS
Kindly be informed to you that Sadra International Institute is going to convene the Second International Conference on Thoughts on Human Sciences in Islam (IC-THuSI), which will be held on 18-19 November 2015 in Jakarta, with the theme “Epistemology and Methodology for A New Paradigm of Human Sciences in the Islamic Perspective”.
In this regard, we alert you to the Call for Papers.
Background
Epistemology, a way of knowing (the theory of knowledge) or a way of understanding and interpretation of reality is basically very important and urgent for building new theories and paradigm of human sciences. What is called ‘worldview’ actually is a kind of understanding, an interpretation and a kind of analysis on existence and the universe as well as man, society, and history. On the basis of worldviews, any individuals and societies have certain ideologies and schools of thought.
Accordingly, Alexander Rosenberg exposes the necessity and relevance of philosophy to the human sciences (anthropology, sosiocology, psychology, economics, politics, history). He points out that the questions of the philosophy of social sciences reflect the importance of the choices of theories. For example, one question is that whether human action can be explained in the way that natural science explains phenomena in its domain. If the answer yes, why are our explanations of human action so much less precise and the predications based on them so much weaker than explanations in natural science? If the answer is no, what is the right way to explain human action scientifically? Later, Rosenberg elaborates the unavoidability of epistemology for human/social sciences. As long as social scientists pursue the theories and methods of justification of their knowledge and understanding, epistemology is extremely required. (Alexander Rosenberg, Philosophy of Social Sciences, Colorado:Westview Press, 1995).
In his famous essay, “Overcoming (Modern) Epistemology”, Charles Taylor demolishes the pride of modern philosophy, namely epistemology, which claims to be able to determine what we can legitimately say about God, the world, and human life. Taylor refutes this claim by saying it is a terrible and fateful illusion. It is because, Taylor explains, that the modern epistemological construe is an understanding of knowledge that fits well with modern mechanistic science, which is immensely influential in social science as well as philosophy. He argues that our understanding of human life and experience, just like self-knowledge, is required for grasping the world and society. (Charles Taylor, Philosophical Arguments, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1995).In line with the above Rosenberg’s and Taylor’s descriptions, Murtada Mutahhari delineates the need of epistemology for any schools of thought including the teories of human sciences. Mutahhari explains the close relationship between ideology, worldview and theory of knowledge (epistemology). He says that worldview functions as the intellectual infrastructure while ideology serves as the superstructure. And then it comes a question: why are there different worldviews?
The answer to this question leads us to discuss the issue of correct knowledge and wrong knowledge. We shall deal first with the issue of knowledge and see what correct knowledge is. Mutahhari says, “The world is a world of schools and ideologies. Schools and ideologies are based upon worldviews, and worldviews in turn are based upon knowledge. Out of this, man will realize the importance of the issue of knowledge. .. This is the reason why, before dealing with ideologies, schools and worldviews, we must first settle the issue of knowledge.” (Murtada Mutahhari, The Theory of Knowledge: An Islamic Perspective, London: ICAS Press, 2011)
Objectives
This conference is aimed to reach such purposes as follows:
1. Developing a new paradigm of human sciences on the basis of Islamic perspective through discussion on epistemology.
2. Innovating new model and methodologies of human sciences, which is compatible with the real and true humanity, religousity, and spirituality in the Islamic perspective.
3. Promoting the importance Islamic epistemology for developing new paradigm of human sciences.
4. Building a scientific network among Muslim scholars and universities especially across Indonesia in order to work together for disseminating and developing the countinous agenda of “Islamic Human Sciences”.
5. Generating insightful notions for developing human sciences inspired by Islamic thought and tradition.
Scope
The topics of interest to be covered by IC-THuSI 2015 include:
v Islamic Epistemology and Its Relevance to Developing A New Paradigm of Human Sciences.
v Epistemology and Methodology in the field of studies:
1. Anthropology, particularly for developing Spiritual Anthropology
2. Sociology: prophetic sociology
3. Psychology: transpersonal, religious-humanistic psychology
4. Politics: religious democracy
5. Economics: Islamic principles on economics
6. Education: Islamic character building
Call for Papers
All interested professors, researchers, and scholars from various related backgrounds are kindly invited to contribute papers for presentation to the conference. Abstracts of 250-300 words with a short vita should be submitted to icthusi2014@gmail.com and callforpapers@ic-thusi.net by July 31, 2015. Upon acceptance, full papers should be submitted by October 1, 2015.
Further information
Please visit our website www.ic-thusi.net for more detailed information. Should you need further clarification, kindly contact Ms. Rintis Mulya at icthusi2014@gmail.com
