It is encouraging to know that recently, a country like Germany has\nsought the advice of philosophers, theologians, ethicists and historians, on\ntop of experts in the sciences and medicine to think of the best exit strategy from\nlockdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the question of exit strategies however, it is imperative\nthat the insights of our thinkers, historians and theologians are considered to\nreimagine how we should progress as a civilisation from this point onwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question of what we mean by \u2018progress\u2019 is crucial in this regard,\na term widely taken for granted by many. As aptly raised in The Economist<\/em> in 1999, \u201cIn modern times,\nfaith in \u2018progress\u2019 has been closely connected to, if not wholly identified\nwith, the inevitability of market-driven economic growth. Is this an error?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we peruse the literatures, we will find that thoughtful thinkers\nin the West have long discussed the meaning of the idea of progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n J.B. Bury in The Idea of\nProgress<\/em> (1920) mentions, \u201cIt may surprise many to be told that the notion\nof Progress, which now seems so easy to apprehend, is of comparatively recent\norigin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier in 1874, progress was discussed by John Fiske in his Outlines of Cosmic Philosophy<\/em> as\nfollows: “The fundamental characteristic of social progress is the\ncontinuous weakening of selfishness and the continuous strengthening of\nsympathy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n In recent times, one can find more critical engagement with the\nnotion of progress\u2014see for instance, Christopher Ryan\u2019s Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress<\/em> (2019), and Alexander\nGillespie\u2019s The Illusion of Progress<\/em>\n(2001).<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, in the consciousness and thoughts of illuminated souls in\nthe history of the Muslims who have built prosperous civilisations, there are\ngreat insights on how to look at the matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For Muslims, it refers to the stage wherein the individual and\ncollective lead a life and build a civilisation that is closer to the natural\ninclination (fitrah<\/em>); wherein the\nthoughts and spirits are elevated towards lofty aspirations for the betterment\nof all kingdoms of nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, for a nation to progress, it does not have to involve\nuncritical imitation of a Western model of \u201cmodernisation\u201d, but it can entail\nan intelligent selection of the positive contributions of modernity and the\nWest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To achieve progress does not mean we have to pursue the current path\nof unbridled urbanisation and deforestation which have greatly disrupted the\nequilibrium in man and nature, making other animal-to-human disease\ntransmissions ever more likely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the economic domain, we would do well to progress from an\neconomic philosophy which is currently premised on perpetual growth (takathur<\/em>) towards the organisation of\nlivelihood for sufficiency (kifayah<\/em>)\nso as to ensure overall socio-economic equilibrium. We should progress towards\nthe virtues of frugality and contentment in our economic life\u2014away from the\nvices of wastefulness and extravagance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For this to happen, it requires that the population especially the\nlearned to heed the advice of our elders such as Royal Professor Ungku Aziz who\nonce said: \u201cThe study of literature and mankind\u2019s heritage should not be\nforgotten even though Malaysia is gearing towards becoming a scientific and\nprogressive society in the next century\u2026 man cannot live by science alone as he\nneeds cultural nourishment for his mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ungku Aziz further add that, \u201cWe have examples of advanced nations where scientific advancement is balanced by an education system that encourages learners to appreciate the great works of the past and present and to be familiar with at least a portion of the creative works and discourses of mankind through time and across the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following are some specific and concrete examples for Malaysia,\nwhich can possibly contribute towards a more comprehensive understanding of\nprogress:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of urban living, the initiatives of Urban Hijau<\/em>, an urban sustainability centre in TTDI, Kuala Lumpur\nis commendable. It aims to revive and reintegrate the urban life with the\nforgotten science of regenerative living which tackles both the challenges of\necological disequilibrium and food security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of intangible heritage, the efforts of Akademi Jawi Malaysia<\/em> to republish and re-educate the public on our\nJawi intellectual heritage deserves to be commended as it contributes to the\ncultural progress of the nation in a time when the nation is increasingly dislodged\nfrom its past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of media outlets\u2014our newspapers, radio and TV should\nadvance narratives and contents that would contribute towards the progress of\nthe intellect and spirit of the people\u2014not that which appeals to the bestial\nself. It is such a pity, for example, that we have yet to produce a respectable\ndocumentary on our two living national treasures: 98 year-old Royal Professor\nUngku Aziz and 89 year-old Tan Sri Professor Dr Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus for countries like Malaysia, progress should also mean the thriving\nof: enterprises which seek to restore the ecological balance like Urban Hijau,\nenterprises which preserve and bring to light our intangible heritage such as\nAkademi Jawi Malaysia, and the production of media contents and narratives which\ncan further inspire the population towards lofty ideas and aspirations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words, true progress is realised when a bounty of God is\nput in its place, as per the saying of the 13th century sage, Jalaluddin\nMuhammad Rumi:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “What is justice? Giving\nwater to trees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What is injustice? To give water to thorns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Justice is (consists in) bestowing a bounty in its proper place, not\non every root that will absorb water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is injustice? To bestow (it) in an improper place that can only\nbe a source of calamity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bestow the bounty of God on the spirit and reason, not on the\n(carnal) nature full of disease and complications.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such kind of progress is a creative revival of the goodness we have\nlost or forgotten from the past, which will enable a greater realisation of\ntranquility in life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This does not mean we have to dismiss advancements in science and\ntechnology, but it does mean we have to be more discerning and intelligent in\nits use, in order to do justice to the three kingdoms of nature as well as our\nultimate existential objective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To achieve this, we need to accord more respect to those lofty souls\nfrom the past: the Prophets, sages and luminaries and their present-day\ninheritors, in order to draw from their wisdom to guide us and inspire us in\nvarious civilisational domains today and the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It is encouraging to know that recently, a country like Germany has sought the advice of philosophers, theologians, ethicists and historians, on top of experts in the sciences and medicine to think of the best exit strategy from lockdown. Beyond the question of exit strategies however, it is imperative that the insights of our thinkers,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_analytify_skip_tracking":false,"_wpzoom_pinterest_image_url":"","_wpzoom_pinterest_hidden_image":"0","_wpzoom_pinterest_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[139],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-straits-times","category-139","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27424\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}