The Rationality of Social Action, from the Perspective of Islamic Wisdom in the Face of the Weberian Tradition

Rationality is one of the struggling issues for thinkers of social sciences. Among them, Max Weber has formulated the rationality of social action based on a particular concept of reason and action, and has considered modern societies as rational, which is incompatible with the view of Islamic scholars. Accordingly, the rationality of social action, from viewpoint of Islamic wisdom, has been examined and explained through using an analytic-comparative approach to the Weberian tradition. Rationality and action are the terms that, in the abstract sense, they mean "derived from reason and will", but in concrete sense, they have their own special meanings based on how they view the nature and cognitive faculty and motive power of human. Accordingly, in Webber's analysis, reason and action have been considered the method and practice derived from the autonomous practical wisdom and the rationality of social action, as well as having a mathematical calculation to achieve the aims of life, reductionism, and Western society, a rational society, and at the same time suffering from the crisis of spirituality. However, Islamic scholars, based on their view of human nature and power, regard "reason" as the capacity for the understanding of meanings, and "action" as the result of the will arising from the stimulative power influenced by the powers and dispositions of high and wicked human's selves. Therefore, they define the rationality of social action, as social actions based on the capacity of perceiving abstract meanings, and in its various contexts and examples, they consider the definition and observance of the method as well as rational calculation in social action as only one of the criteria for being rational, and in this respect, they don't let the society suffer from a crisis of spirituality. Rationality is one of the struggling issues for thinkers of social sciences. Among them, Max Weber has formulated the rationality of social action based on a particular concept of reason and action, and has considered modern societies as rational, which is incompatible with the view of Islamic scholars. Accordingly, the rationality of social action, from viewpoint of Islamic wisdom, has been examined and explained through using an analytic-comparative approach to the Weberian tradition. Rationality and action are the terms that, in the abstract sense, they mean "derived from reason and will", but in concrete sense, they have their own special meanings based on how they view the nature and cognitive faculty and motive power of human. Accordingly, in Webber's analysis, reason and action have been considered the method and practice derived from the autonomous practical wisdom and the rationality of social action, as well as having a mathematical calculation to achieve the aims of life, reductionism, and Western society, a rational society, and at the same time suffering from the crisis of spirituality. However, Islamic scholars, based on their view of human nature and power, regard "reason" as the capacity for the understanding of meanings, and "action" as the result of the will arising from the stimulative power influenced by the powers and dispositions of high and wicked human's selves. Therefore, they define the rationality of social action, as social actions based on the capacity of perceiving abstract meanings, and in its various contexts and examples, they consider the definition and observance of the method as well as rational calculation in social action as only one of the criteria for being rational, and in this respect, they don't let the society suffer from a crisis of spirituality.