Thesis Summary
Shahrur links human settlement to livestock, agriculture, and provisioning, and sees the transition from cave life to settlement as a condition for the emergence of urban civilization, the state, and more complex social relations.
Foundational Atoms
Place of Reference within the Book
This meaning is drawn from the passage in which Shahrur presents the transition from dwelling in caves to settlement, within the final section of the Book and the Qur’an.
Limits of the Reading
This reading focuses on the relationship between livelihood and settlement, and does not make it the sole explanation for the history of civilization. It summarizes what Shahrur presents in the context of civilizational development.