The Meaning of the Concept in This Book
The episteme is the deep cognitive structure that directs visible systems of ideas, not merely a collection of scattered opinions. In this book, it is understood as a framework that makes it possible to read the Qur’an and the Islamic sciences within the history of thought, not only outside it.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
The concept is linked to the idea that Islam was historically and humanly formed, and that understanding it requires an epistemological critique that opens religion to spirit, modernity, and universality. For this reason, the book does not merely recount ideas; it connects them to the structure that produced them, and makes epistemological periodization a means of uncovering these structures instead of settling for external narration.
How It Works Within the Atlas
Here, the concept appears as a tool for distinguishing between ideas and the episteme that organizes them. It also shows that reason and the Qur’an acquire their meanings through context rather than abstraction. Through this use, Arkoun’s method becomes concerned with deconstructing the episteme and going beyond superficial description, not merely collecting meanings or summarizing them.