The Dominance of Practical Anthropology in the Modern Era and the Necessity of Practical Theology

Religion is addressed to man, and therefore changes in man cause changes in religion and religiosity, and raise at least the question that which area of religion deserves the most attention. During the modern era and the Enlightenment, the human definition has changed dramatically. In the new definition, man, as a compensatory and social being, is at the center of attention with a naturalistic view. In the Enlightenment and following Kant's Copernican revolution, the man was introduced as the subject; a subject that constructs perception and the phenomenal world, and is, of course, incapable of perceiving anything beyond time and space. The result of the expansion of this Copernican revolution into the realm of will, action, feelings, and emotions led to the birth of man as an agent (and not rational in the metaphysical sense). In such a situation, categories such as freedom, commitment, responsibility, and emotions such as altruism, compassion, and modesty, which are manifested in practical life, take precedence in the study of the human being, and the sciences that deal with human action evolve. Christian theology, by developing practical theology, has recognized and interacted with this change in the concept and nature of man. As well, Islamic theology cannot ignore this problem. Islamic theologians must use the possibilities of religious sciences including Kalam, philosophy, ethics, Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Tafsir, and hadith sciences, along with the use of other conventional sciences, to develop practical Islamic theology as an Interdisciplinary religious science.