Abstract:
The world of social sciences is divided between two poles: what is truth and what is false? This
dichotomy of the ontological reality remained contested to this day; however, modern sciences
have monopolized the epistemic and ontological realities to their favor, devising an uncultivated
space for the traditional sciences. This study revitalizes the need to address this exact precarious
issue caused by the desacralization of knowledge within the traditional sciences. Under the ambit
of sacred sciences, it becomes a necessity to navigate between the subaltern question and the
culture of peace; wherein the ultimate reality is still based upon ‘revelation’ and ‘intellect’, and it
has not been corrupted by the modern western ideas of empiricism and rationalism. Traditional
sub-continent sciences – in all their universal and particular attributes - provide the basic tenets of
the culture of peace among humans, and in the broad context of mother nature. Humanism in its
true manifestation existed centuries ago in the traditional sub-continent society; however, subhuman
cultures
ushered
by
the
modernization
drive
by
the
west
undermined
the
beauty
of
harmony
in
the sub-continent. Under this hindsight, imagine a glorious past of the sub-continent region
wherein predominantly peace prevailed in most of the cases, it is – at the present moment - mired
either with a general state of conflict or there exists a phase in which a cyclic pattern of war and
peace can be seen at all systemic levels. Additionally, rigorous indigenous research on knowledge
– attaching even binaries to the knowledge whereby what is western is scientific and what is nonwestern
is
anti-scientific
-
would
be
fatal
if
it
is
seen
through
a
modern
lens
wherein
the
traditional
knowledge
is
relegated
to
the
rank
of
an
abysmal
piece
of
art.
Therefore,
the
true
normative
and
structural
aspects of the culture of peace that existed in the traditional sub-continent cannot be
visualized without understanding its traditional sciences. For this reason, this thesis will dissert the
wisdom existing in the traditional sciences - whereby they achieved positive peace - and how they
can be utilized to address not only the contemporary regional conflicts within the sub-continent
but also be able to highlight the re-conceptualization of peace at the global level.
