The meaning of the concept in this book
The text presents them as a fundamental force in the shaping of the humanist perspective within Islamic thought. Their importance lies in the fact that they represent one of the historical roots that the author sees as capable of reviving the project of humanism, especially through reason, interpretation, and independent reasoning.
Its place in the book’s argument
The Mu‘tazila are mentioned within an argument that seeks latent humanist possibilities in Islamic history, not as a purely historical retrieval, but as a sign of an intellectual orientation that makes reason, interpretation, and independent reasoning central elements. In this sense, the concept serves the book’s idea that there are internal resources that can support the project of humanism.
How it works within the atlas
This concept is linked to a path that connects historical roots with a critical reading of the present. The Mu‘tazila here is not merely a historical name, but a semantic node linking reason and humanism, and it appears within Arkoun’s atlas as an indication that some older theological currents contain elements that can be read in a reformist horizon. Its presence is also understood through the link that connects it directly to the role of the Mu‘tazila in the humanist perspective.