Epistemological critique of “Islamic reason” in the neomodernist project of Mohammed Arkoun

Abstract

The article deals with analyzing the historical epistemology of “Islamic reason” as it is developed in the works of the French philosopher Mohammed Arkoun. The key concepts comprising the supporting framework of Arkoun’s theory are clarified. Special attention is given to the problem of historical interrelation of religion and violence, the role of “dogmatic enclosure” in legitimizing the religious violence and the “secular theology” as a possible antidote that could preserve the religion from being instrumentalized by different political actors. In Arkoun’s view, one can reach the unthought of Islamic religious tradition by consciously resorting to modern historical-anthropological, linguistic and sociological knowledge. This appeal makes it possible to reveal a special “regime of truth” and the attitude that have accompanied Islamic reason throughout history, and, therefore, to reach new horizons of thought. This whole process may be called criticism of the Islamic mind. According to Arkoun, the “deconstruction” of traditional structures performed in the course of this criticism is not identical with the destruction of the Islamic mind par excellence, but coincides with the emancipation of its content within the framework of the emergent reason, that is, with the demonstration of its inclusive and truly all-human — humanistic — potential. In the conclusion of the article, both the theoretical scientific and practical existential significance of reaching the unthought of Islamic tradition is noted.