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The Discursive Self: Rethinking the Relationship Between Autonomy and Tradition in Shi’I Thought

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The Discursive Self: Rethinking the Relationship Between Autonomy and Tradition in Shi’I Thought The Discursive Self: Rethinking the Relationship Between Autonomy and Tradition in Shi’i Thought Submitted by Christopher Pooya Razavian to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Arab and Islamic Studies in September 2015 This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Signature: Dedicated to the loving memory of Farideh Razavian 1951 – 2006 Abstract The concept of autonomy underlies many other issues in moral and political philosophy. This dissertation states that contemporary debates within Shi’i thought view autonomy as individualistic, and that this individualism brings it into conflict with tradition. It then argues that autonomy is not equivalent to individualism, and argues for an understanding of autonomy that is socially and historically embed- ded and discursive. This makes it possible to rethink the relationship between autonomy and tradition. This rethinking is done through a method of reflective equilibrium, where various ideas from various fields are brought into a coherent whole. There are two phases to this rethinking. The first is in clarifying the concept of autonomy and the second is bringing this concept of autonomy and Shi’i tradition into equilibrium. The dissertation begins by stating that Shi’i thought has already made room for autonomy, but that the concept of autonomy that is dominant is individualistic. An understanding of autonomy as socially and historically embedded is defended. The second phase is to reconcile this embedded notion of autonomy with Shi’i tradition. It is argued that autonomy is important for both the internalisation of tradition and the formation of tradition. Empirical evidence is provided through positive psychology that shows that the most effective means of internalising a belief is through contexts that support autonomy. This understanding of internal- isation is brought into equilibrium with the Shi’i concept of forbidding wrong. It is argued that one of the conditions of forbidding wrong is the condition of efficacy. Approaches to forbidding wrong that support autonomy meet this condition, while those that deny autonomy generally do not. Finally, it is argued that autonomy should be considered within the process of ijtihād because it has an epistemic gain. Autonomous individuals gain a certain level of expertise through their life experiences that are necessary to be incorporated in the ijtiḥād. Abstract!..........................................................................................................!3! Acknowledgements!........................................................................................!8! Introduction!...................................................................................................!9! Discursive Selves!..................................................................................................................................!11! The Shi’i Tradition!.................................................................................................................................!12! Categorisation: Islamists, Traditionalists, and Reformists!...............................................!17! Contemporary scholars!......................................................................................................................!23! Western Philosophy!.............................................................................................................................!27! Structure of the Dissertation!............................................................................................................!30! Method!.........................................................................................................!32! Coherentism vs Foundationalism!..................................................................................................!32! Reflective Equilibrium!..........................................................................................................................!33! The Pragmatic Turn!..............................................................................................................................!34! The Precedence of Empiricism!......................................................................................................!36! An Instrumentalist Defense!..............................................................................................................!38! The Structure of the Study!................................................................................................................!41! The Definition of Autonomy and Its Foundations in Shi’i Thought!....!42! A Prototype Approach to Defining Autonomy!.........................................................................!43! Prototyping!...............................................................................................................................................!44! Schemata!..................................................................................................................................................!45! Defining Autonomy!...............................................................................................................................!46! A Schema of Autonomy: Relevant Attributes!.......................................................................!48! Autonomy and Social Embeddedness!.....................................................................................!49! How Shi’ism has made room for autonomy!.............................................................................!53! Autonomy as a Comprehensive Doctrine!...............................................................................!53! Fiṭra and the Good Innate Nature!...............................................................................................!56! Free-will!......................................................................................................................................................!57! The Intelligibility of Good and Evil!...............................................................................................!58! The Scope of Taqlīd!............................................................................................................................!60! Pushing the Boundaries of Autonomy!........................................................................................!65! Shabestari and Reformist Conceptions of Autonomy!..........................!66! Biography!...................................................................................................................................................!67! Reformism and the Authoritarian State!......................................................................................!69! Epistemic Egalitarianism as a Social Movement!...............................................................!71! Shabestari’s Hermeneutcis!..............................................................................................................!73! Modernity and Choice!.........................................................................................................................!76! Establishing Religious Experience!...............................................................................................!79! Experience as an attractive encounter with God!...............................................................!81! From the Abyss to Faith!.....................................................................................................................!83! Gadamer vs Shabestari!.....................................................................................................................!85! Rethinking Choice and Embeddedness!....................................................................................!87! A Social Self!................................................................................................!89! Rawls and Justification!.......................................................................................................................!91! Autonomy as Content!........................................................................................................................!92! Autonomy as Process!........................................................................................................................!93! The Implications of Autonomy!........................................................................................................!95! A Comprehensive Kantian Autonomy!......................................................................................!96! Political Conception of the Person!.............................................................................................!96! Two Concepts of Autonomy and Islam!....................................................................................!98! MacIntyre’s Critique of Liberalism!...............................................................................................!101! The Myth of Enlightened Rationalism!....................................................................................!103! How Tradition Affects Rationality!.............................................................................................!106!
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