Secularization in Iran: The Process Influencing Human Sciences

Secularization is a process whereby religion and religious beliefs lose their role and significance within the various areas of the social life, a process which finally ends in secularism. Included the areas in which the process has penetrated PENETRATED THROUGH is the realm of education and Pedagogy and mainly human sciences. Nowadays, science and knowledge, in particular humanities, have a peculiar perspective and principles; i.e. A perspective with no religious horizon, which is a result of the gradual impact of the secular movement. Secularism was developed in the world of Christianity. The theoretical underpinnings underlying its foundations were the objective to separate religion from the worldly matters, which brought about modernity and the western civilization. There are numerous factors contributing to the development of secularism, which can generally be traced back in the problems and deficiencies existing in the Christian Middle Ages. Iran, also, has not been safe from the destructive impacts of this movement, traces of which can be observed in various social arenas including education, science and knowledge, as well as in the views held by certain intellectuals and scholars.