The Idea
The text holds that fundamentalist discourse succeeds not only because it offers decisive religious answers, but because it fills a broader vacuum produced by the weakness of scientific critique and the scarcity of intellectuals capable of questioning assumptions. In this sense, the fundamentalist becomes a quick substitute in the public sphere when the capacity for free thought and organized doubt recedes, not because he is more persuasive, but because he is more present.
Focused Formulation
Fundamentalist discourse: fills: the vacuum left by the weakness of scientific critique and the scarcity of intellectuals
Its Place in the Book’s Argument
This claim situates fundamentalism within a social and intellectual diagnosis, not within a purely religious explanation. It links its spread to a defect in the broader cultural sphere and makes the absence of critique a facilitating condition for its rise. It therefore serves the book’s argument by showing that the crisis lies not in ideas alone, but in the environment that allows closed ideas to appear convincing and necessary.
Why It Matters
The importance of this claim becomes clear because it shifts the discussion from condemning fundamentalism to understanding its conditions. It helps read Arkoun as concerned with the structure of the intellectual field more than with attacking opponents. It also opens up a question about the role of education, critique, and intellectuals in resisting closure.
Reading Questions
- How does the text link the weakness of scientific critique to the rise of fundamentalist discourse?
- Does fundamentalism appear here as a cause of the crisis or as a result of it?
Documentation Level
High: the claim appears in a clear place in the book’s material.