The Syrian thinker, Dr. Hashem Salih, confirms that the scourge of Arab thought is represented in the historical fallacy, the lack of recognition of the huge historical discrepancy between European and Arab thought, and the inability to differentiate between temporal and epistemological intellectual contemporaneity, which leads to dilution of attitudes and loss of compass. Our belief that Arab thought digested all the theological, scientific, philosophical and political revolutions that advanced European societies digested from the sixteenth century until today is considered a major historical fallacy. He explained that European Christianity lived through the battle of the heritage self with itself over the course of four centuries, while the Islamic world did not live after this fierce battle, although it was at its gates, while some believe that it is possible to avoid it or jump over it! The translator of Arkoun's works into Arabic believes that enlightenment is an attitude towards existence and is not confined to a specific era in itself. And a critical stance protesting against ossified dogmatics, whether religious or political. Hence, it exists in all ages.
Abu Al-Ala Al-Maari was considered a great enlightener, in addition to Al-Jahiz, Al-Kindi, Ibn Sina, Al-Farabi, and all the poles of the golden age of the Arabs.
Saleh attributed the Enlightenment to the eighteenth century European; Because he achieved for the first time in human history the independence of philosophy from Christian theology, or reason from transmission, and crystallized the great Enlightenment project that aimed to improve the human condition by adopting scientific rationality and abandoning the superstitious mentality that prevailed in the Christian Middle Ages and still prevails in large segments of society. Our Islamic world until now. He appreciated the projects aimed at achieving technological progress, democracy and religious freedom: that is, freedom of conscience and belief, or “there is no compulsion in religion,” given that the Catholic Church was coercive and expiatory at that time.
He pointed to the bright face of the Church today, as the Pope is one of the greatest defenders of modernity, human rights, and freedom of belief and conscience. Given that the goal of the enlightenment project is to get people out of their illiteracy, ignorance, and extreme poverty, by raising the standard of living and improving medical treatment, and then through education and education. He argued that the goal of the First Lights project was to combat religious fanaticism: which ignited sectarian wars on a large scale and destroyed societies to the ground, but the West did not accuse anyone else, nor distract itself with cheap and cheap demagogic speech, but rather recognized the reality of the problem that gnaws at the depths of their people due to the dominance of the ages. The middle, dark, mentality, focused all their efforts on crystallizing another interpretation of religion: that is, a rational, humane, enlightened interpretation. Saleh revealed that the founding fathers of the Enlightenment project were born in the seventeenth century from the likes (Descartes, John Locke, and Spinoza), but those who implemented the idea and implemented the project were the eighteenth century philosophers. The goal of the project was not only intellectual or theoretical, but also practical. On the material level, the project aimed to confront the natural disasters that terrified people at that time, such as hurricanes, floods, epidemics, and droughts, not to mention earthquakes and volcanoes.. Therefore, they did everything they could to enable man to domesticate nature, through science, industry, and technology. In short, they are the outlines of the Enlightenment project.
He attributed to enlightenment the virtue of modern civilization that we see with our own eyes today. Because he was able to bring Christian fundamentalism to its knees and defeat it on its own ground. And he proved that its concept of religion is closed, fanatic, sectarian, and a cause of civil wars and sectarian massacres. He stressed that the Arabs have not yet said their last word. Muslims are coming, but after waging their own battle with themselves.
Presented by: Ali Al-Rubai @Al_ARobai
