Tradition and Modernity: Christian and Muslim Perspectives

Seyyed Hossein Nasr on Tradition and Modernity

Seyyed Hossein Nasr on Tradition and Modernity j os ep h e . b . l um ba rd B orn in tehran in 1933, Seyyed Hossein Nasr has been at the forefront of discussions of the relation between Islam and modernity for more than four decades. He has published more than five hundred articles and more than fifty books that have been translated into some twenty languages. Nasr is one of only three intellectuals who have delivered the Gifford Lectures in Natural Theology (1980–81) and also been included in the Library of Living Philosophers (2000), the others being John Dewey (Gifford 1928–29, Library 1939) and Alfred North Whitehead (Gifford 1927–28, Library 1941). Knowledge and the Sacred, which resulted from his Gifford Lectures, has been referred to by Huston Smith as ‘‘one of the most important books of the twentieth century.’’1 Nasr’s unique blend of philosophical, religious, and scientific expertise led him to write such groundbreaking works as The Encounter of Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis in Modern Man (1968) and Religion and the Order of Nature (1996), which present the environmental crisis as an outer reflection of modern man’s spiritual crisis. In the 1960s and ’70s, his was one of the first philosophical voices to warn of the environmental crisis. He was also among the first scholars to introduce Western audiences to the Islamic scientific tradition in works such as An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines (1964), Science and Civilization in Islam (1968), and Islamic Science: An Illustrated Study (1976). Moreover, his extensive work on Islamic philosophy has inspired an entire generation of scholars to engage Islamic philosophy in its own right rather than treating it as a mere footnote to the Western philosophical tradition. Nasr has also been among the most influential scholars in the field of Sufism for the last fifty years. After writing several books and essays about Sufism, Nasr penned The Garden of Truth: The Vision and Promise of Sufism, Islam’s Mystical Tradition (2008), 177 178 Joseph E. B. Lumbard which presents Sufi teachings from within while remaining accessible to a diverse modern audience. Nasr’s contributions in any one of these fields—philosophy, Sufism, environmental studies, or comparative religion—would constitute a major contribution to intercivilizational and interreligious dialogue. But when his significant impact in each of these fields is considered together, he is arguably one of the most influential thinkers of the past fifty years. This influence has been evident in his crucial contributions to the initiative known as A Common Word. As the main Muslim speaker, opposite the pope, at the first Catholic–Muslim forum held at the Vatican in November 2008, Nasr called upon all participants to bring the message of understanding and reconciliation to their communities: ‘‘Those who are guides and trailblazers in religious matters must come forward and seek to bring about understanding to those in their own communities who hearken to their call. They should bring about further knowledge about the other whom they should present as friend, not enemy, to be loved and not vilified.’’2 Currently university professor of Islamic studies at the George Washington University, Seyyed Hossein Nasr has had an illustrious teaching career. In 1958 he became professor of the history of science and philosophy at Tehran University , and in 1972 became chancellor of Aryamehr University in Iran where he instituted educational reforms that are still in effect today. Nasr was also the founding president of the Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy, whose purpose was to revive the intellectual traditions of Persia and to bring them into greater dialogue with other philosophical traditions with the goal of applying the fruits of this dialogue to the exigencies of contemporary man. Tradition and Modernity The conflict between tradition and modernity, regarding both humanity in general and Islam in particular, is central to many of Nasr’s writings, foremost among them, Knowledge and the Sacred, Traditional Islam in the Modern World (1987), and Islam and the Plight of Modern Man (1976). To understand Nasr’s position regarding this relationship, one must first understand how he defines these terms. As employed by Nasr and other ‘‘traditionists,’’ such as René Guénon, Frithjof Schuon, Titus Burckhardt, and Martin Lings, ‘‘tradition’’ is not meant to indicate custom, habit, or inherited patterns of life and thought; rather ‘‘tradition is of sacred and divine origin and includes the continuity and transmission of that sacred message over time.’’3 When used in this manner, ‘‘tradition’’ indicates revelation...