MY teacher of philosophy of science, often described as the field of epistemology, is a professor of Islam at George Washington University (GWU). He is Persian, both a Shia Muslim and Sufi practitioner of reflective thought and life matters. He is 85 years old.

He graduated with a master’s in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds a PhD in the history of philosophy of science from Harvard University. He teaches all three subjects at GWU. He also speaks seven languages. A scholar par excellence.

He became president of Tehran University under the Shah’s regime at the young age of 28, but had to leave the scene when his fellow student under the same teacher became the first president of Iran in 1979.

Theology, philosophy, science

I am a Mar Thoma Christian in the heritage of the Great Eastern Church called the St Thomas Syrian Church of Malabar. As a secular student at Universiti Malaya, I acquired zero knowledge on philosophy at the Faculty of Economics and Administration. Philosophy, per se, is not taught anywhere at the undergraduate level in Malaysia.

A Christian friend of mine graduated with a master’s in philosophy from Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) School of Humanities in the late 1980s. He majored in philosophy at the undergraduate level, at the same varsity. I am not sure if philosophy is still offered as a major (or even a minor) for undergraduates at USM or other local universities today.

My question to all Malaysian educators and readers, and especially the education minister, is this: is philosophy of science, as the science of knowing, an important enough subject to be taught?

Philosophy, in itself, is basic in any field of knowing and acquiring knowledge, and in how to go about doing that through the scientific method. Also, it challenges us to equally understand what we don’t know.

Knowing and doing

To know is to be enabled to do. If one does not know, one cannot do. Modern science is the art, science and technology of knowledge, or the “how” to know, and migrates us into doing. Doing is applying processes, systems and techniques to resolve the lack of full knowledge.

While theology often defines the white areas of life and warns about the black areas, life is not simply about the blacks and whites. What is even more important is to teach about the grey areas. Ethics and morality are a key problem in the world today.

Theology is a formal engagement in life’s grey areas because it has to be lived out, or what is defined as living theologically within such schools of knowing. It engages life lived out in the ordinary, mundane arenas.

I have learnt much from my teachers, but have always based this on my own observations. My teachers and I, therefore, became good friends, and I can talk freely about most, if not all, relevant issues.

What is confined theology?

I have never read these two words in the same sentence anywhere else before. Why, then, am I now coining the term to define or seek to restrict theology, almost by definition?

My reasoning is simple. That “stupid murderer on London Bridge” was named Khan, which, by inference, defines him as a potential Muslim. He was quoted as saying: “Only Allah can and will judge me!” Was his ordinary theology right?

His “theological interpretation” might be so, according to his personal interpretation of Islam, but I think his philosophy and understanding of the religion was screwed up. It reminds me of the banana-and-duct-tape art, where another artist ate the fruit.

The root word for knowledge is “gnosis”, and “ignosis” is the absence of knowledge. That is where we get the English word “ignorant” from.

The London Bridge murderer’s theology was simply wrong, or at best, limited, because he had failed by the definition of a bigger world or worldview.

We ordinary human beings tend to have a “confined theology” when we put God in the limiting box of human definition. At times, we construe what God said in our holy books via the prism of human interpretation that may have not undergone rigorous scrutiny by our own faith community. That is reductionism, always, by philosophy of science’s definition.

It always leads to a skewed understanding of our own faith when we do not seek enlightenment through authorities in our religion.

Knowledge of my personal faith is what I have read in the Bible, but I need to read it with my own faith community lest I misinterpret the Scripture. Here, too, is the defined work of the Holy Spirit, always shining a light on my simple understanding.

What, then, is life?

I choose not to quote the Quran as I am only a curious student of Islam. Nevertheless, I will claim to be a proud student of Dr Seyeed Hossein Nasr. That same set of scriptures states that if Allah wanted to make all human beings of a common ethnicity and religious conviction, He would have done so.

Within a greater frame of wisdom, that same Almighty created humans as man and woman, and gave them a clear sense of the dignity of life. The rest becomes the history of human life.

Therefore, my question to the blind and confined theologian is, if you claim to know Allah, is He the same God that told you to kill others? Really?

My only retort is that you have simply lived a confined and confused non-theological life, and sadly, became another human being who did not get love from your parents or adopted community.

Your greatest failure is that you assumed and played God. And yes, He will judge you, as that is His true role.

Maybe, you never got to learn the concept of anthropomorphism, or the efforts of humans to pretend to understand an unlimited God, which is beyond mankind’s comprehension. Thus, that same God is simply reduced and confined to your limited theology and philosophy. – December 15, 2019.

* KJ John worked in public service for 32 years, retired, and started a civil group for which he is chairman of the board. He writes to inform and educate, arguing for integration with integrity in Malaysia. He believes such a transformation has to start with the mind before it sinks into the heart!

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.