Philosophy, language policy and the knowledge society

Abstract

Abstract An effective language policy is of central importance in any educational reform endeavour. As the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries seek to foster the conditions for the creation and maintenance of knowledge societies, this chapter sets out to examine how language policy can be viewed from a philosophical perspective with reference to Islamic epistemic, ontological and axiological norms. The chapter contends at the outset that Muslim students and academics can suffer from pragmatic failure and cognitive dissonance if an effective language policy is not implemented that takes into account their philosophical disposition. A way to mitigate against this cognitive dissonance is explored, which would result in a language policy predicated on Islamic philosophical norms. A language policy thus articulated is viewed as a necessary precursor to the development of a knowledge society in Islamic countries.