Tawhid and Science: Islamic Perspectives on Religion and Science

by Osman Bakar, Arah Publications, 2008, Pp. 316, ISBN: 978-983-3718-35-1

Abstract

Osman Bakar‘s book  Tawhid and Science: Islamic Perspectives on Religion and Science is one of those few books which according to Francis Bacon has to be chewed carefully and digested to get benefit from it. The general consensus among secular and  even  ―Islamist‖  individuals  is  that  science  and,  by  extension,  technology  is neutral, both in terms of culture and values, though many nowadays, due to the rise of the ecological movement, are also aware of its deleterious effects. Osman Bakar in his book presents the interconnection between the Islamic worldview and science, in a meticulous analytical manner. While many a reader educated in the West may feel that the term ―Islamic science‖ is problematic, the differential nature of science as it has developed in the West and the Islamic world is quite evident from Osman Bakar‘s book.  Not  only  in  its  pragmatic  aspects,  but  in  terms  of  the  ideational  and philosophical foundations of the two kinds of science, they are different. The question of whether there can be an alternative to Western science, or whether science can be called  value-neutral,  is  another  point  to  consider.  While  everyone  will  not  be convinced by the arguments put forward by Osman Bakar, the sophistication and cogency of a type of the argument will be difficult to deny.