The Idea
Arkoun stresses the need to translate scientific studies on religion into Arabic and into the Islamic languages, so that knowledge does not remain confined to narrow circles. The idea is that knowledge does not fully perform its role if it remains distant from readers who are concerned with it in their cultural environment. Translation here is not merely linguistic transfer, but an opening toward local debate and conscious review.
Concise Formulation
Scientific studies on religion: they should be translated into Arabic and the Islamic languages
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This claim takes its place in the book’s argument as a condition for moving critique from the sphere of the elite to the broader public sphere. If knowledge remains in foreign languages, it stays distant from the circulation of readers whom it directly concerns. The claim therefore aligns with the book’s aim of making scholarly research part of the internal dialogue on religion and thought, not an external body of material separated from it.
Why It Matters
Its importance lies in the fact that it links the production of knowledge to its circulation; the existence of studies is not enough unless they reach the reader in their own language. This reveals a practical dimension in Arkoun’s project: expanding the circle of access and accountability. From here, the reader understands that reforming thought also begins by making its tools available to people.
Brief Evidence
”With the importance of translating scientific studies into Arabic and the Islamic languages.” This passage shows that scientific knowledge does not fully perform its role if it remains confined to languages distant from the readers concerned with it. Translation here is not only verbal transfer, but a condition for opening debate and review within the cultural environment itself.
Reading Questions
- Why does translation become a condition for the effectiveness of scientific knowledge in this field?
- How does the arrival of studies in Arabic change the nature of debate about religion?
Degree of Documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear location within the book’s material.