Reason, Authority and the Text

Abstract

Modem thought rose out of a fierce and protracted struggle in Europe
between the pre-modem religious tradition, which located ultimate truth in
divine text, and a philosophical tradition which placed truth in human experience
and insisted that truth could be attained through the intellectual
examination of human reality. Enlightenment scholars succeeded indeed
not only in defending the autonomy of rationality and reason, but also in
using human intellect to develop modem social sciences.
Methodical and systematic approaches to understanding human experience
propelled modem scholarship forward in its attempts to provide a better
understanding of human psyche and condition. This led to the development
of elaborate theories and research methods in the areas of social studies,
economics, politics, psychology, administration, and others. While
modem scholarship made impressive advances by using analytical reasoning
to shed light on social phenomena, it hit a solid wall in its efforts to base
value systems on an empirically defined rationality. Many modem scholars
were initially inclined to shrug off the importance of values to social knowledge
and social understanding. Some even tried to deny the transcendental
nature of values. Ultimately though, the dominant positivist school was
forced to give up its attempt to build human knowledge on a purely empirical
basis.
The failure of modem thought to develop a purely rational scholarly tradition
has emboldened postmodem writers, and encouraged them to deny
the possibility of pursuing truth. Hence rationalism has been placed on an
equal footing with irrationality, and morality has been equated with
immorality.
Power of Reason
The intellectual impasse we all face today may be traced back to the
Enlightenment scholars' efforts to sever human values from their transcendental
base, and to marginalize the irqportance of religious beliefs, or the
lack thereof, in shaping the scholar's attitude, and in providing the transcendental
presuppositions essential for social research. However, modem ...