Rivista Internazionale di Filosofia e Psicologia (Jan 2011)
Razionalismo, politica e teoria della conoscenza. Un contributo alla filosofia arabo-islamica del presente
Abstract
Rationalism, Politics, and Theory of Knowledge. A Contribution to Contemporary Arab-Islamic Philosophy - The present text is a significant excerpt from the interview released in 1981 by the Moroccan philosopher Mohamed Abed Al-Jabri in the journal al-thaquafa- al-djadida [The New Culture]. The text was later revisited by Al-Jabri himself and published in 1991 with the title li'anna al-aqlaniya darura [Why rationalism is necessary] in a book on the relationship between tradition and modernity in the Arab-Islamic culture, At-turat wa-I-hadatha [Tradition and Modernity]. The interview deals with some of the central points in the contemporary debate on the social, political and cultural renewal of the Arabic world. Al-Jabri thinks that a critical perspective on Arab-Islamic culture must be developed. He maintains that in the Arab-Islamic world there is an enormous need for philosophy – discussion and rational argumentation – and for rationalism. Rationalism would contribute, among other things, to freeing politics and science from the chains of dogmatism, religion and tradition.
