Entry
In its current form, this entry does not offer a definitive definition of the term “human being” in Muhammad Shahrur’s thought, because the page package contains no textual evidence that can be consulted. Completing it requires a text that defines the term or clarifies its usage in context.
This entry belongs to the Shahrur glossary. For reading by theme, see Shahrur’s major themes and shared concepts.
What Is Attributed to Shahrur
The page’s previous formulation attributed to Shahrur a distinction between “the human being” and “the human,” and linked the human being to consciousness, choice, moral obligation, and the spirit. However, these attributions are not supported in the current package by evidence or verbatim quotations; they are therefore not presented here as established statements by Shahrur.
Atlas Explanation
The atlas distinguishes between a term and its documented definition: the existence of a heading entitled “the human being,” or of a preliminary description in the term’s metadata, is not by itself sufficient to establish a technical meaning. Nor is linguistic similarity sufficient to establish that “the human being” and “the human” are distinct in Shahrur’s thought, or to determine the nature of their distinction.
Synthetic Conclusion
At this stage, it is not possible to construct a documented conceptual map linking “the human being” to “the spirit” or “knowledge,” nor to rely on formulations that portray the human being as a free, responsible being or as a conscious rank distinct from the human. Any synthesis of this kind is deferred pending the provision of evidence.
Open Question and What Is Needed for Completion
In which texts does Shahrur define “the human being,” or explicitly contrast it with “the human” or “the spirit”? Raw context and a verbatim quotation must be provided for each instance, after which it must be determined whether the usage constitutes a stable technical definition or a description specific to a particular context.