Introduction and Statement of Problems in Research
What is known in today’s world as the social sciences in its specific meaning and differs from other types of human knowledge, is the product of the change of view and approach to religion and science during the Enlightenment or “Age of Wisdom” in the thought of the West was formed. The invalidation of theories arising from the medieval church, which was gradually proven by experimental scientific studies and experiments, all led to the decline of this institution in the West. The modernists of this period in the history of the West advised that listening to the orders of the church, which was the symbol and a trustee of religion is over and now it is time to use their understanding, relying on their intellect to find guidance (Kant, 17: 1995). In this period, modern science was formed by relying on observation and experimental methods and believing that religion is not a good source for understanding the facts. (Sheffield, 2008: 32; Newman, 6: 2000, and van de Ven, 298: 2007). In this new perception of knowledge that was known as science, scientific methodology was the most important factor in determining what scientific knowledge was and what knowledge does not have such a title.
Although these developments began in the natural sciences and areas such as astronomy and physics, this path of evolution did not remain limited to the natural sciences and tangible study subjects, and gradually the same method became the basis for theorizing in the human world (Copleston 2001: 49). These developments in the humanities led some historians, including Rousseau and his followers in the 19th century, to turn human thought into an unprecedented movement and to transform literature, science, philosophy, and the principles of governance (Dorant, 1990: 870). Since the humanities are the knowledge of describing, explaining, interpreting, predicting and strengthening, correcting or modifying human actions (Sharifi, 115: 2014), they have played a key role in the management of human societies and have a direct impact on the meaning and lifestyle of individuals in their personal and social lives.
According to what has been mentioned, evolution in the humanities is an issue that has been seriously discussed and studied in our country after the Islamic Revolution. Therefore, in order to understand what it is, its dimensions and components, it is necessary to study the vision and intellectual foundations of the Islamic Revolution from this perspective. The Islamic Revolution, in addition to being based on the ideological foundations of Islam, has become necessary and has taken place in a specific time and place. Therefore, familiarity with Islamic thought alone cannot lead to an understanding of the Islamic Revolution as a social, cultural, political, and, of course, Islamic phenomenon. Therefore, by paying attention to the fact that evolution in the humanities is a multidimensional scientific-executive category that is necessary to achieve a model of evolution in that sociology, the idea of the Supreme Leader was the basis for this purpose. On the one hand, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, as a religious thinker and a source of imitation for the qualified mujtahid, is deeply acquainted with Islamic thought, and on the other hand, before and after the Islamic Revolution, as the representative of Imam Khomeini in universities, he had extensive relations with universities and academics, also due to their various executive responsibilities before becoming responsible for the leadership of Islamic Iran, he is well acquainted with the executive structures of the country. Therefore, it can be safely claimed that his thought has the best guidelines and unravelling for evolution in the humanities. He was one of the pioneers in calling for a review and evolution in the humanities so that before reaching the position of leader, he was a supporter of activities related to the Cultural Revolution, the Islamization of universities, and the cooperation of the seminary and the university.
In the first year of his leadership, he made important statements about the unity of the seminary and the university (Ayatollah Khamenei, 1989). Based on the published materials, he expressed their first official demand for the need for change in the humanities in 1992 among the members of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution. While expressing the country’s backwardness in evolution in the humanities, he emphasized the need for a fundamental evolution in the humanities (Ayatollah Khamenei, 1992). At various times, while criticizing the spirit of translationism in the humanities and culture (Ayatollah Khamenei, 2002), he emphasized the need for research and innovation in the humanities due to the richness of Iranian Islamic culture to produce the concepts of the humanities. In regard to the transcendent goals and ideals of the Islamic Revolution and the incompatibility of humanities with these goals and ideals, beliefs and at different intervals have been guided by the unfavourable situation of the humanities. Since the unfavourable current situation depends on having and knowing a picture of the desired situation, even briefly, therefore, in this study, a careful study of his statements and positions in the form of methodical processing in order to identify problems and solve pivotal problems in this area, which is the basis for policymaking in the humanities and transition from the current situation to the desired situation is essential. In this study, we will seek to discover the dimensions and components of evolution in the humanities from the perspective of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
The Importance and Position of the Humanities
The Supreme Leader stated that many of the events of the world condemned the views of the humanities, believe that the humanities direct the present world. The humanities are the spirit of knowledge in the sense that other sciences are used in every direction that the humanities define for a society. On the other hand, the subjects of the humanities have such a wide range that even the progress in the industry is largely due to the implementation of the theories of the humanities in that field.
As the concepts related to this category show, from the perspective of the Supreme Leader of the Humanities, as the most important pillar of civilization, it plays an irreplaceable role in the realization of the ideals of the holy system of the Islamic Republic. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the humanities used in the training of the country’s human capital in the strategic plans of the system.
The Unfavorable Situation of the Humanities
He attributes the shortcomings in the humanities to both the content and the manpower as well as its structure. According to him: Sometimes incompetent people enter the field without speaking and have enough literacy, and they think and innovate on their own, which is, in fact, negligence (imprudence in the humanities). The serious problem of the structure is that since the Islamic Revolution, the institution of science (university) and religion (seminary) have been separated from each other. In this structure, it is sometimes observed that Islamic approaches are neglected.
The Necessity and Possibility of Evolution in the Humanities
The third category is the necessity and possibility of evolution in the humanities, which deals with the necessity, feasibility, and its status and importance. The third category is the necessity and possibility of evolution in the humanities, which deals with the necessity, feasibility, and its position and importance. The Supreme Leader considers the evolution of the humanities to be possible for the following reasons: The rich Islamic culture, in which science and religion are mutually exclusive, also encourages the learning of science and the great talents of Iranians. The existence of the dough of some humanities (rationality and empiricism) in the Iranian Islamic heritage. In a statement, he said that achieving excellence and innovation in the humanities is the key to the country’s final, fundamental and radical progress.
Evolutionary Requirements in the Humanities
Evolutionary requirements are the necessary (not sufficient) conditions for evolution in the humanities. Among these requirements is the creation of a special structure and management for the evolution of the humanities. The purpose of creating a special structure and management is a structure or organization that manages the change management and takes the necessary management measures such as planning, organizing, etc. to achieve this goal.
Of course, it should be noted that in his recommendations, he does not completely deny the exchange and learning of sciences from the West, and he recommends that you import science, there is no problem, but at least as much as you import or export more. It has to be a two-way street, so if you’re just constantly using other people’s knowledge, that’s not progress. Take science, ask for it, learn from others, but also produce and give to others. Be careful that your trading balance is not negative here either.
Evolution Management in the Humanities
Another important issue is evolution management. Since the humanities play a significant role in the destiny of society, the Supreme Leader has announced policies to achieve this goal. These include the general policies of the Fifth Development Plan, the general policies of science and technology, and the general policies of the Sixth Development Plan. The cohesiveness of the activities that are carried out in the direction of evolution in the corners of the country and placing them in a single direction is their managerial advice in this regard.
The Structure of the Humanities
One of the Supreme Leader’s criticisms of the current humanities is the anti-religious structure of universities. Since the establishment of the university in Iran, domestic politics and the demands of foreign colonizers required that the two institutions of science (university) and religion (seminary) not only be separate from each other but also pessimistic about each other. As a result of these policies, seminarians and religious scholars have been confined to religious and non-religious matters and have been kept unaware of developments in the outside world. The university also fell into the hands of those who did not have a positive view of the seminary. The prevailing view of domestic politicians was that progress and development were achieved by abandoning religious values and rules in scientific settings. Therefore, the humanities in the desired situation in the Islamic Republic in terms of structure should not be taught separately from religious values and worldview. Because the humanities are closely related to the subjects of religious propositions and teachings. It is clear that the Islamic Worldview that has chosen the Islamic worldview as its theoretical and practical basis cannot teach and transfer theories of the humanities to her youth without regard to religious teachings.
Humanities Content
It must be acknowledged that most of the Supreme Leader’s criticism of the current humanities has been directed at the educational content of the humanities, and especially at the wrong foundations based on materialistic thinking. The content of desirable humanities has two important characteristics: they are being Islamic and indigenous. Islamism and the humanities are concerned with the humanities on the epistemological, ontological, anthropological, and axiology of Islam. In the desirable situation, the basic textbooks of humanities-based educational research in the Islamic sciences are based on the attack of domestic thinkers. Also, the current theories of the humanities will be tested with Islamic teachings and after passing through the filtering of Islamic indicators, they will be established in the Institute of Humanities. This is not the case that the views of the Western humanities without any critical look and a translation or raw entered this institution and effective.
Indigenousness, consistency and appropriateness of humanities theories have at least two main aspects. One aspect is that the descriptions of the social sciences that have a descriptive aspect should describe the social actions formed in the context of Iran, not the descriptions of these collective actions of individuals, groups, and communities that have different characteristics from Iranian society. Another aspect of the localization of the humanities is related to applied research. This type of research, which is designed to solve specific problems, should focus on the issues, needs and priorities of the country. Islamic Iran is involved in various social issues, which are basically not considered issues in Western societies to be researched by social scientists.
Social Science Activists
As can be seen, some of the concepts obtained relate to the characteristics of activists or actors in the humanities. The Supreme Leader has paid special attention to this dimension, and an important part of his criticism of the humanities is related to this dimension. The first important feature is the entry of talented and motivated people in the humanities, the explanation of which goes beyond the category of structure. The cause of repeating this feature here is where the concept was good, but here the meaning, talent and motivation are among the characteristics of the individual.
Self-awareness of Western concepts and theories means gaining knowledge of the socio-cultural origins of creation, and they understand that such concepts and theories are alien to the Islamic worldview and its Islamic system. Therefore, one of the most important and basic steps that must be taken to realize the humanities is to create self-awareness.
Archive of Ayatollah Khamenei
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