Idea
This claim links the meaning of God to the history of the formation of concepts in modern societies. The point is not to deny faith, but to indicate that the word «God», when understood within the context of secularization, does not remain fixed to the same meaning it had in earlier times. The question therefore becomes one of the concept itself, and of how its place in public consciousness has changed, rather than of its abstract existence.
Concise Formulation
The concept of God changes historically after secularization
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This statement appears within a broader argument that seeks to read religious concepts as subject to history, not as closed meanings outside time. At this point, the book distinguishes between the European experience, which reshaped society’s relationship to religion, and the Islamic context, which did not undergo the same trajectory. The phrase thus serves the comparison and prompts the reader to notice the differences in historical conditions.
Why It Matters
The importance of this claim becomes clear because it prevents one from reading Arkoun as merely rejecting religion. Rather, he draws attention to the fact that the major terms of the tradition cannot be understood unless their history and transformations are taken into account. This helps us understand his entire project as an attempt to re-raise old questions in a language suited to the present without confiscating faith.
Brief Evidence
Arkoun explains the placing of «God» in quotation marks as a reference to the transformation of the concept of God after secularization. The aim is not to negate faith, but to indicate that the meaning of the word does not remain fixed within the modern context. In this way, the question of the concept’s history and its place in public consciousness becomes part of understanding it.
Reading Questions
- How does situating the concept within history change the way Arkoun understands it?
- Why does the book insist on distinguishing between the European experience and the Islamic context?
Documentation Level
High: the claim appears in a clear location in the book’s material.