Al-Attas, Husserl, and Critique of Modern Science: A Critical Engagement of Ramon Harvey’s “Islamic Theology and the Crisis of Contemporary Science”

Abstract

In July 2023, Ramon Harvey published an article titled “Islamic Theology and the Crisis of Contemporary Science: Naquib al-Attas’ ‘Metaphysical Critique’ and a Husserlian Alternative.” He argues that Al-Attas’s metaphysical critique of modern science is dialectically inappropriate because it relies on specific, non-publicly verifiable Akbarian metaphysics and interpretations of revelation and spiritual intuition. As an alternative, he promotes Husserlian critique as a solution potentially compatible with the Islamic tradition and more open to public scrutiny at large. This article tries to engage critically with Ramon Harvey’s portrayal of al-Attas’s ideas and his reasoning as to why Edmund Husserl’s critique is suitable to be incorporated into the Islamic tradition. This paper argues that (1) Harvey’s portrayal of al-Attas’s ideas is incomplete by not capturing his analysis of the crisis of the Muslim world and its solution; (2) while not being convincing for everyone, al-Attas’s metaphysics is still a valid reading within the Islamic tradition, supported by ample rational and revelational justifications; (3) the difference between Harvey’s and al-Attas’s take on the status of intuition is caused by their different interpretation of al-Nasafī’s and al-Taftāzānī’s texts; and (4) that the Husserlian alternative is not yet a viable alternative for Muslims.