Science, Islam, and the Scientific Revolution

This paper focuses on the issues that science and Islam, the more attention from the academic community and Islam in Indonesia. This issue is warm because of the desire, hope, and spirit of Islam akan bangkitnya motivated by the triumph of civilization romantisisme history of Islamic science in the past few centuries. Studies on science in Islam is actually taken seriously discussed by some scholars, both Muslims and the West. In general, this study includes two aspects, namely historical and epistemologis. In this article I will discuss two aspects to this and melajutkannya in the context of Indonesia.

Scientific Revolution
Discussion of science and Islam that have started from a monumental event to mark the birth of modern science, that is, the Scientific Revolution in the 17th century in Western Europe to become the "embryo of" the emergence of science as a system of knowledge moderns "universal." Historiografi In science, one question which is always the big attraction is: Why does the Scientific Revolution did not happen in the Islamic civilization in the heyday for centuries before European nations to build their system? Bukankan Islamic civilization itself already has the basics of a strong (tradition and philosophy of science) that allows the occurrence of the Scientific Revolution? To answer this question, there are two things that need to be understood. First is the history of social science in Europe when the Scientific Revolution. The second characteristic is the system's internal knowledge of Islam that does not enable the occurrence of Scientific Revolution. Although this is the second bit ambigius, this is quite short komparasi useful to see how modern science and contemporary Islam meet.
There are several thesis that we can take to understand the Scientific Revolution in Europe. First, the Scientific Revolution is always associated with the process sekularisasi or tercabutnya religious authority in the social system that memungkinakn political science kungkungan separated from religious institutions. Has been known that in the 16 century and 17 during the era Renaissannce, religious institutions as a very dominant and hegemonik epoch in Europe is experiencing radical changes in its position as holder of the full authority of all forms of truth. But lepasnya science from religious authority does not make them independent. Leonardo Olschki in notes, of a Scientific Revolution can not be separated from the process of transforming scientific knowledge into the form of a technical tool. According to Hessen the success of modern science in the centuries 16 and 17 is driven by economic failure the system is replaced by a feudal economic system capitalism. Specifically, Hessen physics refers to the development of science at the time as a form of response to the needs of technical and industrial warfare. From the records of the history of Scientific Revolution is that we can understand the development of modern science in Europe is not separated from the various forms of economic and political interests. Moreover, as said by Sandra Harding, modern science has become a vehicle for the practice of hegemony and the ambitions of nationalism of the nation during the European colonization of the other nations.
Now let us look to the early history of Islamic civilization and the knowledge that dibangunnya. Note A.I. Sabra can be made one of the specialty to see the contribution of Islamic civilization in science. In pengamatannya, the Islamic intellectual tradition was imported from the Classical Greek civilization. But this process does not do so only in passive, but is done through the appropriation process or the adjustment with the Islamic values. Thus the civilization of Islam is able to retrieve, process, and produce a system of knowledge that new, unique, integrated, and that is not never there before. There are two things that Sabra noted as a significant contribution to Islamic civilization in science. First is the level of thought inspired by the scientific needs in the Islamic belief system. Determining the direction of direction accurately is one of the results of this conjunction. The second level in the institutionalization of science. Sabra refers to four important institutions for science perkembamgan who first appeared in the Islamic civilization, namely hospitals, public libraries, high schools, and the astronomical observatory. All the progress made this possible by support from the authorities at that time in the form of funding and the award of the scientific tradition.
Then why science in Islamic civilization does not successfully defend kontinyuitasnya, failed to reach the point Scientific Revolution, and thus decreasing? One of the interesting thesis that come from Aydin Sadili. As described above in the science that's unique is the inclusion of elements of Islamic religious knowledge in the system. But, according to Sadili, here also the causes of the failure of Islamic civilization reaches Scientific Revolution. In the assumption Sadili, Classical Greek intellectual tradition inherited by the new Islamic civilization can produce scientific progress occurs when the strength of the process of reconciliation with religion. Reconciliation between science and religion occurred in European civilization, but it does not happen in the Islamic civilization. Dikotomi between the two types of knowledge, ie, religious knowledge and worldly knowledge (awâil) is a strong indication. The problems that occur is the discrepancy between the position of religious knowledge and worldly knowledge in which knowledge of religious social-political position that better knowledge of worldly status while located on the status of complement.
Next, Sadili see that one of the crucial failure permasalah Islamic science in achieving the Scientific Revolution is terpisahnya tradition philosophy with the religious traditions of thought. Because science and philosophy are in a group of the same, ie, secular knowledge. This separation ultimately limit the philosophy and science in the things outside the authority. There is limited berimplikasi on this berhentinya scientific tradition in Islamic civilization until finally all the scientific tradition is imported by several European nations a century later.

Modern Science and Islam
The desire or obsession akan bangkitnya back squarely Islamic civilization from the birth of romantisisme history of the past. Despite that, the desire is certainly something that makes sense. Even a duty for every Muslim, can build a civilization based on the values of Islam. Therefore, a note on the history will make us more wise to see in which direction we will go. One thing is clear that a new civilization can stand firmly if successfully build a well-established system of knowledge. Bangkitnya akan Islamic civilization is very dependent on the success in science through the achievement of institutional and epistemologis towards the process dekonstruksi modern epistemology of science that allows the values of Islam to be merged in a balanced system of knowledge that was built without the need to make science as a means of religious legitimacy, and vice versa. This is in line with the idea of Islamization of knowledge has ever dilontarkan by Ismail Raji al-faruqi.
Why do people need to reform Islam modern science? Is not modern science has provided so many benefits for mankind? This statement may be true if we see how the critical attitude with modern science to create life (groups of) people become more prosperous. The argument that makes sense coming from Sal Restivo which reveals how modern science is a social problem because the system born of modern society are broken. The historispun we can understand how modern science was born as the engine system exploitation capitalism. Paul Feyerabend even criticize modern science as a threat to the values of democracy, the quality of human life, and even the earth and its viability contents. In kondisisi like this, Islam can be a proper alternative to science in developing a more subtle way.
Despite the Islamization of knowledge is an ambitious project to not call this utopia. Islamization of knowledge project is loaded with value will be very difficult to reach because of conflict with the dogma of modern science to claim himself as a "free" so that the value of a neutral and universal. Claim neutrality and universality modern science itself is essentially problematic. Neutrality is a refuge for modern science from the criticisms of the various social problems that diproduksinya. While universality is not more than just a tool of modern science hegemony of the other system. Social and cultural study of modern science made some scholars to give enough evidence that science and knowledge dihasilkannya always be cultural, social terkonstruksi in, and never be separated from economic and political interests. This is the biggest challenge for saintis Muslims in an effort to build a system of Islamic knowledge.

Science and Islam in Indonesia
The fact that Indonesia is a country with the largest population groups in the Islamic world is always associated with hope akan bangkitnya Islam in this country. Quantitative facts unfortunately this has not been enough for us to be optimistic. Major obstacle for the goal is to have two sides. The first is still the weak scientific tradition in Indonesia. Although Indonesia has a relatively higher quality, a sound scientific activities, especially in science, in the knowledge that is far from original expectations. This condition becomes weaker again because terpisahnya science and philosophy in academic discourse. Inclusion of science in the science of exact sciences philosophy as science is non-exact sciences indikasinya. While exact sciences category and non-exact sciences are ilusif. This does not cause terbentuknya a tradition of philosophy of science is well established critics, and vice versa, science itself is running as though he is autonomous.
On the second, refers to the thesis Nurcholish Majid, a fact that Islamic communities in Indonesia do not inherit the intellectual tradition of Islamic civilization during the summer. Islam in Indonesia is shown when the Islamic intellectual tradition is being decreased at the origin so that the intellectual tradition is not had time to be merged in the social system and culture. In addition, one of the terms of the growth of intellectual tradition is the attitude of openness inklusivitas or because a new system of knowledge can properly if it is in the social systems that respect the differences and diversity of thought. This issue becomes important given the still strong exclusivity in various sections of the community of Islam in Indonesia.
In closing, what is described above is a form of awareness of science and Islam in Indonesia, which should receive attention in the public continuously for membangkitan the spirit and tradition of criticism of science as well as criticism for the Islamic community in Indonesia. And therefore studies the relation between science and Islam should be the important agenda, both in the tradition of Islamic philosophy and science in the discourse on the theoretical level and praksis.