Formulation of the claim
This claim states that revelation, in Arkoun’s view, is not merely a religious discourse recited aloud, but a meaning directed to the human being in order to grant him a direction for guidance within his intellectual and spiritual experience. It places revelation in direct relation to the human need for understanding and orientation, not as a body of material detached from life.
Explanation
This claim states that revelation, in Arkoun’s view, is not merely a religious discourse recited aloud, but a meaning directed to the human being in order to grant him a direction for guidance within his intellectual and spiritual experience. It places revelation in direct relation to the human need for understanding and orientation, not as a body of material detached from life.
This statement also shows that Arkoun links revelation to the historical and epistemic sphere of the human being, where immediate human knowledge stands alongside revelation that guides the human being. Thus revelation is not understood here as a substitute for the human being, but as an element that enters into his horizon and influences his course.
Its place in the book’s argument
This atom appears within a context that distinguishes between forms of knowledge and their limits, and assigns revelation a special place within the discussion of human beings, meaning, and guidance. It is connected to the way the book presents the relationship between the religious text and human experience, without any absolute separation between the two spheres.
Limits of the claim
This atom should not be made to bear more than it says: it does not spell out the content of guidance, nor explain its mechanisms, nor present a complete theory of revelation in Arkoun.