The Idea
Arkoun argues that modernity granted the concept of the Other legal dignity; that is, it recognized the Other as a human being with a status that may not be violated. This transformation is important because it moves the relation with difference out of the domain of suspicion and fear and into the domain of rights and recognition. Thus, instead of being merely an adversary or a subordinate, the Other becomes a person protected by legal and moral safeguards within the public sphere.
Concise Formulation
Modernity grants the Other legal dignity
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This claim lies at the heart of the book’s argument because it links modernity to what it does in human relations, not only to the slogans it raises. Granting the Other legal dignity clarifies what has historically changed in the conception of human beings and society. Through it, Arkoun brings out the difference between a world defined by domination and a world defined by rights, a fundamental distinction in the comparison he builds.
Why It Matters
The importance of this claim becomes clear in that it makes recognition of the Other a criterion for understanding modernity itself. This matters in reading Arkoun because he does not stop at considering intellectual progress; he also ties it to its ethical and legal impact. This understanding also opens a crucial question about the extent to which recognition and rights are present in the societies the book discusses.
Brief Evidence
Arkoun argues that modernity granted the concept of the Other legal dignity; that is, it recognized the Other as a human being with a status that may not be violated. This transformation moves the relation with difference out of the domain of suspicion and fear and into the domain of rights and recognition. Thus, instead of being merely an adversary or a subordinate, the Other becomes a person protected by legal and moral safeguards within the public sphere.
Reading Questions
- What does it mean, in Arkoun’s view, for the Other to have legal dignity?
- How does this recognition relate to understanding modernity as an ethical and political transformation?
Level of Documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear location in the book’s material.