Idea
This idea holds that the Arabic humanist tendency did not appear in a late or marginal period, but emerged in the fourth Hijri century, that is, the tenth century CE, in a clearly urban context. The point is that the city, with its circulation of knowledge and mingling of intellectual currents, was a suitable setting for the rise of this humanist sensibility. Its emergence is thus tied to a specific social and cultural history.
Concise formulation
The Arabic humanist tendency emerged in the fourth Hijri and tenth century
Its place in the book’s argument
This claim represents a foundational element in the book’s argument, because it gives Arabic humanism a concrete historical location rather than leaving it as an abstract idea. In this way, Arkoun responds to the view that confines human achievement to a single history or a single geography, and shows that the Arab-Islamic sphere likewise witnessed early forms of reflection on the human being, reason, and knowledge.
Why it matters
The importance of this claim is that it reorders the historical map of humanism, refusing to make it the monopoly of a single path. It also helps us understand Arkoun’s project as a call to recover intellectual possibilities neglected by the dominant narrative. It likewise draws attention to the role of the city in producing ideas, not as a neutral backdrop but as a condition for openness.
Brief evidence
Arkoun presents a history of the emergence of an Arabic humanist tendency in the fourth Hijri/tenth century. From this, it is understood that this tendency emerged in a clearly urban context, not in a late or isolated margin. Its appearance is linked to the urban environment and the circulation of knowledge within it.
Reading questions
- What makes the fourth Hijri century a suitable time for the emergence of a humanist tendency?
- How does describing it as having emerged in an urban setting change our understanding of its presence in the tradition?
Documentation level
High: the claim appears in a clear location within the book’s material.