Abstraction as the Basis of Human Thinking
Editorial verification status: this atom is extracted from an explanatory audiovisual source, and has now been linked to the closest books within Shahrur’s project at the book level. For precise academic citation, consult the original book and the original episode together.
Formulation of the claim
Shahrur considers abstraction, in language and mathematics, to be the basis of human knowledge. In this way, the human being is a creature capable of engaging with abstract meanings, not only with tangible things.
Explanation
He points out that mathematics is a clear example of abstract thinking: symbols and equations may not have any direct present referent, yet physics may later reveal them. From here, he connects abstraction with the precedence of idea over matter in the cognitive domain. This, for him, proves that the human being is not merely a material being, but a cognitive being. Therefore, abstraction is a condition for understanding existence and the sciences together.
Its place in the argument of the episode
This atom supports his thesis about Qur’anic epistemology and explains why human knowledge is possible in the first place.
Scope of the claim
It does not reduce all knowledge to abstraction, but makes it a fundamental entry point to it.
Brief witness
“Abstraction in its two kinds, in language and mathematics… is the core of the human being.”
Related links
- Shahrur - The Qur’an in Contemporary Thought
- Shahrur - The Book and the Qur’an
- Shahrur - The Evidence: A Contemporary Reading of the Wise Revelation