Interdisciplinary

The experience of our conscience belongs in the same category as feeling, thinking and wanting. However, it has a special aspect, namely the presence of other human beings as absolute entities. The process of experience is concerned with the way to best promote your own interests, with how far you will go in actualising your essential characteristics as an absolute entity. The discussion of our urge for survival shows that we can go quite far in that respect, and that to actualise that urge, there are in fact no boundaries; everything is permitted. The same can be said about actualising our other essential characteristics, but the difference is that our need to do so is perhaps less cogently present; it is not our life, or at least not our continued material existence, that is at stake. Nonetheless, we can and may even choose to go to extremes in this respect and thus to give ourselves priority over others. Respect for the interests of others is based on self-respect, which may lead you to decide to subject your dealings with other people to a set of standards for yourself. Here we enter the area of morals and ethics, to which we can attach a complete moral philosophy and on the basis of a belief, a moral theology. At the end of this road is total love of yourself and others, because you have come to realise that it is the only way that can lead to the fourth essential characteristic of human beings as absolute entities, namely self-fulfilment. You will then have developed in a way that allows you to give yourself and others the scope we need as absolute entities (compassion, solidarity). Self-fulfilment is achieved through self-development, i.e. discovering and honing our gifts and talents and thus finding our own identity (development), a process by which the lives of human beings as absolute entities acquire purpose (the search for meaning). Self-fulfilment is self-actualisation, the state that results from the realisation of the essential characteristics of human beings as absolute entities, and it leads to satisfaction derived from ourselves or our activities, a sense of being satisfied with what we have accomplished.

For several centuries, Islamic philosophy has been in a state of "isolation," meaning it has lost its contemporaneity; it neither solves "problem" nor, at the very least, actively and seriously engages with contemporary issues. This paper, while addressing the nature, possibility, and realization of Islamic philosophy; the achievements of Islamic philosophy; and the historical evolution of Islamic philosophy (in early, late, and contemporary periods), distinguishes three types of Islamic philosophy: Islamic philosophy as a concept; Islamic philosophy as an actualized phenomenon (Peripatetic, Illuminationist, Sadrian, and Neo-Sadrian); and the future Islamic philosophy. The future Islamic philosophy is an ideal one, could emerge later, contingent on certain conditions and prerequisites, such as addressing contemporary issues, particularly socio-cultural and practical issues. It seems that the survival of Islamic philosophy and its avoidance of becoming merely historical -in contrast to the idea of the "end of Islamic philosophy"- depends on this. Since the ideal Islamic philosophy is one that solves problem, this naturally requires problem-oriented philosophical research. Thus, highlighting the importance of problem-oriented research; the nature of a problem; and the differences between a problem, subject, question, and difficulty, the paper will propose the most important and central strategies that could actualize the future or ideal Islamic philosophy. These strategies include: philosophical attention to new sciences and technologies; considering the fourth wave in philosophy; engaging with "Philosophy of"; adopting concrete approaches in philosophy; conducting interdisciplinary researches in philosophy; and employing new methods in philosophy.

The biggest hurdle in 2500 years of philosophy has always been man himself – more specifically, the contents of his cranium, which a great many words have been used to describe. Existentialism and the Phenomenology of Perception (Merleau-Ponty) managed for the first time in the history of mankind to focus philosophy a bit more closely on ourselves. It took us until the end of the 20th century to come to the understanding that “we are our brain” (Dick Swaab) and that “we need to shift our focus from the mind to our brain” (Victor Lamme). What we then see is 100 billion brain cells, all “chattering with each other” (Victor Lamme), leading us to an initial insight into our history and evolution and our essential characteristics. We discover that our focus is now on processes in the brain, which I have chosen to call ‘experience’ or ‘the process of experience’. The neurological discoveries of the 20th century have not yet resulted in changes to our terminology; we still make use of outdated terms in talking about the new situation.I have given philosophical anthropology a new concrete substance on the basis of the definition of American philosopher and member of the American Philosophical Association Jim Dagenais: “a consistent overall vision of man and his world”, so that it can serve as the basis for philosophy and thus as the foundation for human life.The meaning of basic concepts is completely re-examined. Following developments in the 20th century, traditional definitions no longer serve our purpose; we must rigorously adapt our language to these developments so that it once again meets the basic requirements for communication. Then it allows us to describe a contemporary philosophy of human beings and to find answers to today’s questions and issues.

The term “island disease” refers to the isolation and fragmentation of academic disciplines, a phenomenon prevalent in Iranian universities and research institutions. Specialization, while enhancing precision and depth within individual fields, often results in limited interdisciplinary interaction, leaving each discipline functioning as an isolated “island.” This fragmentation manifests in curricula that separate related subjects, minimal collaboration among faculty, and disciplinary languages that hinder cross-field understanding. Philosophical perspectives from Rumi, Jaspers, Heidegger, and Ortega y Gasset highlight the importance of holistic knowledge and the university’s role in integrating education, research, and culture. Globally, universities increasingly adopt interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches to address complex societal problems, foster innovation, and prepare students for the demands of the twenty-first century. In Iran, recent initiatives—including the University of Tehran’s College of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Technologies, interdisciplinary engineering programs at Amirkabir University, and national interdisciplinary journals—illustrate growing efforts to overcome the “island disease.” This study examines the origins, manifestations, and consequences of academic isolation in Iranian higher education and argues that interdisciplinary thinking is a necessary remedy for cultivating integrated knowledge, collaboration, and problem-oriented education.