the investigation of Iran's society decline and backwardness: a comparative study of the veiws of ali shariati and abdolkarim sorush

After the first encounters of Iranian with the west and their familiarity with the westerns governing and their astonishment at science progress there, Iranian lagging behind from the west was become a certain issue for our country thinkers and intellectuals and also it continues yet. In order to solve the concept of Iranian historical decline and their backwardness from the west, Ali Shariati and Abdolkarim Soroush views as two most influential Iranian intellectuals was used in this research. Indeed, they were chosen since both of them are two most prominent thinkers who belongs to different social conditions before and after the Iranians Islamic revolution respectively. Therefore, compare of their ideas about the reasons of Iran’s civilization decline and backwardness from the west would lead to better perception of the mentioned issue. For this purpose, the qualitative content analysis was utilized. According to the results, Shariati believed that stupefication or estehmar (it is an innovation concept by Shariati) is the most mainly reason of the Iranian historical decline and backwardness and also the solution is reform of both agency and structure by return to noble Islamic ideology. In addition, Soroush is of the opinion that lack of experimental sciences growth, lack of concept of right, despotism and colonialism as well are mainly reasons of Iranian historical decline and backwardness. Furthermore, his opinion is way of development passes through the scientific development. Moreover, both of them believed that religion is not cause of either the development or backwardness instinctively. Although Shariati believed that there is a potential in religion which could be helpful to reform Iranian society. Conversely Soroush believes that, in general, religion is not able to provide all human beings worldly needs. so he has suggested empirical science against the discourse of returning to Islamic ideology for Iranian society development.