Idea
This claim begins by rejecting the view of the West as the sole natural source of modernity and rights. Here, these values are not presented as a fixed privilege owned by one side, but as a historical outcome shaped by struggles, experiences, and transformations. The position therefore does not rest on admiration for the West or denial of it, but on refusing to turn it into an absolute image against which all other cultures are measured.
Concise formulation
Arkoun: criticizes: the mythical image of the West as the only model of modernity and rights
Its place in the book’s argument
This claim occupies an important place in the book’s argument because it opens the way to critique ready-made assumptions that make the West the ultimate standard. Through it, the text does not stop at questioning Islamic discourse; it also expands the questioning to include the image many people adopt of modernity itself. In this sense, the critique is directed at all centers of sanctification, not at only one side.
Why it matters
The importance of this claim lies in the fact that it prevents the reader from understanding Arkoun as merely a transmitter of Western values. In this idea, he calls for a more just way of thinking about the relationship between civilizations, and returns rights and modernity to their historical context instead of presenting them as ready-made judgments. This helps us understand his project as a critique of forced sameness, not a call to reproduce a single model.
Brief evidence
The text rejects viewing the West as the only natural source of modernity and rights. These values are not presented here as a fixed privilege owned by one side, but as a historical outcome formed through struggles, experiences, and transformations. The mythical image of the West is therefore criticized without falling into absolute glorification of it or denial of it.
Reading questions
- How does this critique change the way modernity is viewed if it is no longer exclusive to the West?
- Does rejecting the Western model mean rejecting rights, or rejecting the sanctification of their source?
Degree of documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear passage from the book’s material.