Nonexistence = the signifier without a signified
Editorial verification status: this atom has been extracted from an explanatory audiovisual source and is now linked to the closest books within the Shahrur project at the book level. For precise academic citation, consult the original book and the original episode together.
Formulation of the claim
Shahrur defines nonexistence as “a signifier without a signified,” that is, a cognitive or symbolic form that has not yet attained external realization. Before actual existence, things are in God’s knowledge as signifiers without signifieds in the world.
Explanation
He uses the example of a mathematical equation to explain that a symbol may exist before its signified exists in reality. In this way, he connects nonexistence not to absolute nothingness, but to a mental or scientific presence that has not yet been embodied. This allows him to say that the universe before creation existed in God’s knowledge in the form of signifiers. Creation, then, is the transition from scientific determination to existential realization.
Its place in the argument of the episode
This atom prepares the way for explaining the relationship between divine knowledge and the universe, and supports the idea that creation is not from “emptiness” in the sense of meaninglessness.
Limits of the claim
This does not mean that nonexistence is a material thing existing in its own right.
Brief witness
“Nonexistence is the existence of the signifier without a signified.”
Related links
- Shahrur - the Qur’an
- Shahrur - the Decisive Text
- Shahrur - Islam and Faith