The Idea
The text describes Western modernity as tending toward utilitarian rationality, that is, toward concern with what is useful and effective more than with meaning, spirit, and the major questions. In this way, efficiency and practical management take center stage, while metaphysical and existential issues recede. The critique here does not deny the value of reason; rather, it objects to its narrowing when it becomes merely an instrument of utility.
Concise Formulation
Western modernity: tends toward utilitarian rationality
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This claim serves the book’s argument because it explains why Arkoun does not see Western modernity as a final answer to the crisis of the contemporary human being. The book does not attack rationality itself; rather, it reveals its deficient side when it becomes detached from questions of meaning. In this way, the critique of modernity is linked to the critique of fundamentalism: both, in different forms, fail to encompass the full human dimension.
Why It Matters
The importance of this claim lies in the fact that it explains Arkoun’s rejection of absolute trust in instrumental reason. It also shows that his project is not based on hostility to reason, but on expanding its scope to include meaning and the spiritual dimension. This is essential for understanding his critique as an attempt to rescue thought from practical narrowness.
Brief Evidence Passage
The text describes Western modernity as tending toward utilitarian rationality, that is, toward concern with what is useful and effective more than with meaning, spirit, and the major questions. In this way, efficiency and practical management take center stage, while metaphysical and existential issues recede. The critique here does not deny the value of reason, but objects to its narrowing when it turns into a utilitarian instrument.
Reading Questions
- What is meant by a rationality that is more concerned with utility than with meaning?
- How does the text connect the critique of instrumentalism with the need for broader questions?
Degree of Documentation
High: the claim appears in a clear location in the book’s material.