The Ontology of Mysticism as the Foundation of Deliberative Rationality in the Thought of Abdolkarim Soroush
Kanz Philosophia A Journal for Islamic Philosophy and Mysticism June 25, 2026 Taufik Hidayatulloh, Khairil Ikhsan Siregar, Hery Purwosusanto
The crisis of religious authority, identity polarization, and informational disruption in the public sphere creates tension between religious truth claims and the demands of rational deliberation in plural societies. Abdolkarim Soroush's thought distinguishes religion as a transcendent reality from religious knowledge as a historical construction, allowing a reinterpretation of mysticism and political rationality. His ontology of mysticism fosters epistemic humility, which grounds dialogical ethics and deliberative rationality by rejecting absolutized interpretations and affirming intersubjective argumentative validation. This normative foundation supports inclusive political ethics that uphold interpretative pluralism and equality of arguments, integrating spirituality with public rationality and strengthening deliberative democracy through metaphysical awareness and argumentative responsibility.