The Intellectual Challenge Facing Contemporary Islamic Scholarship

Abstract

Language, perhaps the most mysterious element of human existence,
enables us to acquire some insight into the human spirit. When used as an
instrument for expressing ideas and sharing feelings, it helps externalize
individual consciousness and makes it accessible to others. But it is also an
instrument for shaping individual consciousness by means of internalizing
notions and ideas shaped by others. Human consciousness, both individual
and collective, thus presupposes language.
Language and discourse are essential for any collective action. While
such individual actions as hunting for food or constructing a dwelling may
arguably be possible without these abilities, collective action requires the
development of shared meaning and common understanding through linguistic
discourse. The greater the collectivity and the more profound and
far-reaching the collective enterprise is, the more universal and abstract the
language becomes. Thus religion and philosophy have always been central
to human civilization.
Yet despite the proximity between words and concepts, or language
and discourse, the two are far from identical. Although words denote concepts
and a discourse consists oflinguistic terms, the meaning embedded in
words and terms is ultimately determined by social experiences and psychological
states. Hence, in different social milieu and sociohistorical contexts,
what some consider as "courage" might be regarded by others as
"insanity," and what one generation might regard as "prudence" may
denote "cowardice" in another. Evidently, meaning lies not in individual
words but in conceptual frameworks and historically situated discourses.
Take, for instance, such concepts as freedom, equality, dignity, or tolerance.
These concepts often struck a cord among people of different cu 1-
tures and ideological persuasions. But whether these words have a positive
impact on people hinges not merely on their abstract meaning, but on how ...