Ma`rifat

Abstract The issue of man’s consciousness became the focus of discussion in sociological theories when holistic theories by August Comte, Durkheim, functionalists, etc. ignored this element in the study of society and caused the formation of interpretive approach and emphasis on the importance of consciousness in sociology. The two opposing approaches of holism and interpretivism are present in most of the sociological theories. Using the analytical method and aiming at identifying the shortcomings of these two approaches in the analysis of consciousness, the present research examines this issue in the theories arising from them and offers a critical evaluation from the perspective of Islamic philosophy. With their naturalistic approach, holistic theories exclude consciousness from sociological analysis and look for the underlying factors that shape consciousness. The interpretivists, who start from consciousness and emphasize on the agency of the mind and understanding of the doer believe in the dominance of society over consciousness and favor a kind of idealism. Without favoring idealism, the Islamic philosophy analyzes consciousness and its central position in social theory with topics such as the union of knowledge, knower and known and the separation of perception and the substantial motion of the soul, and deals with the analysis of consciousness and its focal position in social theory. The nature and existence of society and social theorization depends on the analysis of this basic element.