Formulation of the claim
Reason, for the Mu’tazila, is understood as the sum of knowledge.
Explanation
At this point in Arkoun’s thought, reason is not confined to an abstract theoretical faculty; rather, it is presented as the outcome of what accumulates as knowledge, meaning that it is defined by what human beings acquire in terms of knowledge, understanding, and discernment.
This formulation indicates that reason, in the Mu’tazilite context as Arkoun presents it, is tied to a comprehensive cognitive function, not to a single limit separate from the other acts of understanding. Reason thus becomes closer to the totality of what is perceived and known, rather than to a narrow, reductive definition.
Its place in the book’s argument
This atom falls within Arkoun’s concern with tracing theological concepts as they historically took shape within the Islamic tradition, especially among the Mu’tazila. It illuminates one aspect of how reason is defined in their system, in keeping with Arkoun’s broader thesis of reading the formation of concepts rather than settling for later or rigid definitions.
This formulation also helps clarify the place of reason within the debate over knowledge, argumentation, and interpretation, one of the central fields to which Arkoun returns when discussing the possibilities and limits of Islamic thought.
Limits of the claim
This atom should not be burdened with more than a brief definition of the function of reason among the Mu’tazila as it appears in the text; it does not offer a complete account of their theory of knowledge, nor does it exhaust the uses of reason in their other writings or among other theologians.