The Integration of Religion and Science from the Perspective of Hossein Nasr

Abstract

This paper examines the concept of the integration of religion and science from the perspective of Seyyed Hossein Nasr, one of the contemporary Muslim thinkers most committed to reconciling modern Western science with the Islamic spiritual tradition. This research employs a library research method with a qualitative-descriptive approach and critical analysis of Nasr's primary works as well as relevant secondary literature. The findings show that Nasr's thought rests on two main pillars, namely the perennial philosophy as the foundation of universal metaphysics and the concept of sacred science as an alternative to the secular scientific paradigm. Nasr argues that the epistemological crisis of modern science originates from the process of the desacralization of knowledge rooted in the seventeenth-century Scientific Revolution, which has resulted in the loss of meaning, an ecological crisis, and human alienation. As a solution, Nasr offers a hierarchical framework of knowledge—sensory, rational, and intuitive/intellective—in which religion and science are viewed as two complementary aspects of a single truth. Although criticized for its epistemological elitism and historical idealization of classical Islamic science, Nasr's contribution remains relevant, particularly in the context of the global ecological crisis and the critique of scientism.