Traditional science and scientia sacra: Origin and dimensions of Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s concept of science

Abstract

Seyyed Hossein Nasr, an Iranian philosopher and an exponent of traditional Islam, is considered one of the most important scholars of Islamic and religious studies in the world today. His conception of science is interesting in the sense that he strives to rejuvenate the notion of traditional science and scientia sacra (sacred knowledge), which lie at the heart of traditional civilization. He considers these two notions (traditional science and scientia sacra) as antithesis to modern science. Nasr’s elaboration of traditional science and scientia sacra serves as an alternative to discourses of Islamization of science which have been put forward by some scholars. This paper tries to examine the core ideas of Nasr’s construct of science, to highlight their ontological, epistemological, and axiological bases, and to trace the root of Nasr’s conception of science to living Islamic philosophical tradition.