Formulation of the Claim
For Arkoun, the cognitive aim is the liberation of Islamic thought.
Explanation
This goal is presented as a cognitive end tied to the very way Islamic thought is viewed, not as an external judgment upon it. What is meant is that this thought should become open to examination and reflection, without closure or prior submission.
Within this context, liberation is no longer merely a slogan, but a marker of transforming Islamic thought into an object of inquiry and critique. It is linked to the possibility of reexamining the formulations, propositions, and presuppositions that have accumulated around it.
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This claim appears as a condensed formulation of Arkoun’s general orientation in the book, where the liberation of Islamic thought emerges as a cognitive aim that guides his other theses close to critique, ijtihad, and reopening the field of thought. It should not be understood apart from his broader project of questioning patterns of reception and interpretation within the Islamic sphere.
Limits of the Claim
This claim does not provide a detailed description of the means of liberation or of its results, nor does it offer a fully developed practical program. Nor should it be made to bear more than it explicitly states: it is an announcement of a cognitive aim, not a detailed account of a comprehensive method.