Contemporary Scientific Epistemological Problems and Maqāṣid al-Syarīʿah: Toward a Teleological Framework for Scientific Inquiry
Abstract
The development of modern science has produced significant advances in knowledge and technology, yet it has also generated epistemological concerns regarding the relationship between facts, values, and the purposes of scientific knowledge. Scientific paradigms emphasizing objectivity and empirical verification often separate descriptive and normative dimensions, leaving the purposes and ethical implications of science beyond scientific methodology. This study aims to explain the role of maqāṣid al-syarīʿah as a meta-methodological framework that complements scientific methodology with normative and teleological orientations. Employing library research with a qualitative approach from the perspective of the philosophy of science, the study analyzes relevant primary and secondary sources on scientific epistemology, philosophy of science, and maqāṣid al-sharīʿah. The findings indicate that maqāṣid al-syarīʿah functions as an orientative, analytical, and evaluative framework without replacing empirical and rational procedures. It guides research priorities toward public welfare, informs the interpretation of data through justice and social responsibility, and provides normative criteria through maṣlaḥah and mafsadah. Thus, maqāṣid al-syarīʿah offers a teleological framework for scientific inquiry that integrates facts, values, and purposes.
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