The Idea
This claim states that when the religious sciences dominate on their own, they push the rational sciences away from the center of attention. The meaning is that knowledge is organized in a way that gives transmission and rote instruction greater value than reasoning and inquiry. The result is not merely a lack of disciplines, but a narrowing of thought itself, because reason no longer finds enough space to operate outside the boundaries drawn for it.
Concise Formulation
The domination of the religious sciences: excluding the rational sciences
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This claim is placed within a chain of argument explaining how critical thought declines when certain bodies of knowledge become the sole criterion of legitimacy. It therefore supports the book’s argument by showing that the history of ideas cannot be separated from the distribution of power among forms of knowledge. When the rational sciences are excluded, the balance that philosophy needs in order to develop is disrupted.
Why It Matters
Its importance lies in clarifying the difference between the existence of the religious sciences and their monopolization of the epistemic field. This distinction is central for Arkoun, because he does not attack religious knowledge as such, but rejects its transformation into an obstacle to rational inquiry. Through this claim, it becomes clear that the question is: how is knowledge organized, and who has the right to define it?
Brief Evidence
The text states that the domination of the religious sciences alone pushes the rational sciences away from the center of attention. The meaning is that knowledge is arranged so that transmission and instruction acquire greater value than reasoning and inquiry. The result is not merely a shortage of specialties, but a narrowing of the horizon of thought itself.
Reading Questions
- How does the monopoly of the religious sciences lead to the marginalization of the rational sciences?
- Is the aim to abolish the religious sciences, or to restore balance between them and the rational sciences?
Degree of Documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear place in the book’s material.