Idea
This claim holds that renewing the study of religion does not occur merely by improving language or rearranging inherited tradition, but through dismantling the epistemic formations on which religious reason rests. It also does not confine critique to tradition, but extends it to the assumptions of modern reason as well. What is required, then, is a double reading that reveals how both religious understanding and modern understanding are in need of reconsideration.
Concise Formulation
Renewing the study of religion: requires: dismantling the epistemic formations of religious reason
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This claim occupies a central place in the argument because it defines the kind of critique Arkoun calls for. The book does not present renewal as a superficial reform process, but as work that touches the foundations of mental and epistemic formation. From this perspective, dismantling religious reason is paired with interrogating modern frameworks, making the critical project broader than a critique of a single orientation.
Why It Matters
The importance of this claim is that it makes clear Arkoun does not simply condemn tradition, nor does he trust modernity as it stands. This reveals a dual critical stance in his project, one that refuses to be satisfied with repeating what already exists. It also helps us understand his work as a call to revisit the very conditions of thought, not just its content.
Brief Evidence
Arkoun links renewing the study of religion to the necessity of dismantling the epistemic formations of religious reason. For him, critique is not limited to tradition; it also includes the assumptions of modern reason. What is required is therefore a double reading that reveals the need to revisit the modes of both religious and modern understanding.
Reading Questions
- What is meant by dismantling the epistemic formations of religious reason?
- Why does Arkoun’s critique also extend to modern reason?
Degree of Documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear location in the book’s material.