Now, it is very important for Muslims who are engaging this...

Now, it is very important for Muslims who are engaging this discourse and using the English language to be aware that even in the English-speaking world, during the twentieth century, there have been debates among a number of philosophers of science as to what exactly is meant by “science.” This was prominent when I was at Harvard some fifty years ago, for instance. Some Western philosophers of science say that the only possible definition of science is organized knowledge.

Others hold that “science” is what a particular culture says it is. I have also heard it from leading Western authorities that the only definition of science is, “what scientists do.” All of these nuances, these different senses and meanings of the word “science,” must be taken into consideration. But there is one other issue I want to add to this topic. There are some people who have been very sensitive to use of the term “Islamic science”. These are usually…