Taha Abdurrahman
Taha Abderrahmane | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 28, 1944 El Jadida, Morocco |
| Occupation(s) | Philosopher, professor |
| Years active | 1970–2005 (academic career) |
| Known for | Philosophy of language, logic, ethics, contractarian moral theory, Islamic modernity |
Taha Abderrahmane (; born 28 May 1944) is a distinguished Moroccan philosopher recognized as a prominent intellectual figure within the Arab and Islamic spheres. His scholarship primarily addresses logic, philosophy of language, ethics, and contractarian moral theory. Abderrahmane promotes the concept of multiple modernities, striving to develop an ethical form of modernity rooted in Islamic and Arab cultural traditions.
Early life and education
Abderrahmane was born in El Jadida on 28 May 1944 and completed his initial schooling in his hometown before relocating to Casablanca for secondary education. He obtained his first degree in philosophy from Mohammad V University in Rabat. Subsequently, he pursued further studies at the Sorbonne, where he earned a second licentiate and completed his doctoral dissertation in 1972 entitled "Language and philosophy: a study of the linguistic structures of ontology." In 1985, he achieved a Ph.D. with a focus on methods of argumentation, titled Essay on the logic of argumentative and natural reasonings.
Proficient in Arabic, French, and English, Abderrahmane also possesses reading abilities in German, Latin, and Ancient Greek, enabling him to engage with philosophical works in their original languages.
Concerning his name, although he publishes under Taha Abderrahmane, "Abderrahmane" is actually his given name while "Taha" is his family name. His philosophical approach is occasionally termed "Taha'iyya." Official records verify that "Abderrahmane" is the accurate spelling.
Academic career
From 1970 until retiring in 2005, Abderrahmane served as a professor specializing in philosophy of language and logic at Mohammad V University. He acts as Morocco's delegate to the International Society for the Study of Argumentation, represents the Gesellschaft für Interkulturelle Philosophie / Society of Intercultural Philosophy, and leads the Wisdom Circle for Thinkers and Researchers.
His accolades include receiving Morocco’s national prize twice as well as the 2006 ISESCO Prize in Islamic thought and philosophy.
Methodological features
Abderrahmane’s philosophical method merges "logical analysis" with "linguistic derivation" inspired by mystical experience. He frames ideas linked to Islamic tradition while incorporating significant contributions from contemporary Western thought in areas such as "speech theories," "argumentative logic," and "ethical philosophy." This synthesis results in an approach that is predominantly "moral" and "deliberative" in nature.
Key publications
- Language and philosophy: an essay on the linguistic structures of ontology (French), 1979
- A treatise on deductive and natural argumentation and its models (French), 1985
- Formal Logic and Grammar, 1985
- On the basics of Dialogue and Renovation of Islamic theology, 1987
- Religious Practice and Renewal of Reason, 1989
- Renovation of the Method in Assessing Heritage, 1994
- Praxeology of philosophy-I. Philosophy and Translation, 1994
- Language and Balance, or Multiplicity of Reason, 1998
- Praxeology of Philosophy-II. 1-The Philosophical sentence, the book of the Concept and etymology, 1999
- The question of Ethics – a contribution to Ethical criticism of Western Modernity, 2000
- Dialogues for the Future, 2000
- The Arabic Right to differ in Philosophy, 2002
- The Islamic Right to be Intellectually Different, 2005
- The Spirit of Modernity, an Introduction to founding Islamic Modernity, 2006
- Modernity and Resistance, 2007
- The Question of Practice, 2012
- The Spirit of Religion, 2012
- Dialogue as Horizon of Thought, 2013
- The Poverty of secularism, 2014
- The Question of Method: Toward a New paradigm in thinking, 2015
- The Post-Secularism: A Critique of the separation between Ethics and Religion, 2016
- The Wandering of The Post-Secularism, 2016
- The Religion of Decency, 2017
- Ethical Concepts between Fiduciarism and Secularism, 2 volumes, 2021
- Sharia Objectives from Fiduciary Ethics Perspective, 2022
- The Question of Philosophical Autobiography: An Inquiry into Fiduciary Philosophy, 2023
External links
- Wisdom Circle for Thinkers and Researchers
- Samir Abouzaoid, Professor Taha Abdurrahman, arabphilosophers.com