DOI: https://doi.org/10.36719/2706-6185/54/67-72
Larbi Miloud
Abdelhamid Ibn Badis University, Mostaganem
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3264-2449
miloud.larbi@univ-mosta.dz
The Right to Philosophize:
Characteristics of the Contemporary
Algerian Philosophical Experience
Abstract
The question of the “right to philosophize” in the Algerian and Arab contexts is seen as an intellectual battle against Western centralism, which has confined philosophy to the “Greek miracle.” Philosophy is not the preserve of a single civilization; rather, it is the fruit of the accumulation of multiple civilizations and human experiences, seeking to defend pluralism and difference and to consolidate the intellectual sovereignty of societies, enabling them to understand themselves above all and to communicate with others. This article highlights Algerian intellectual models that have worked to localize philosophical studies in the local social context, delving into its specific problems and concepts. These models include Abdallah Charit, who emphasized the “battle of concepts” against symbolic alienation and the domination of imported concepts; Bukhari Hamana, who transformed the Algerian Revolution into a philosophical event establishing a local historical philosophy; Ben Mizian Ben Sharqi, who called for the activation of communicative rationality in the Algerian public sphere; and, finally, Zaoui Hussein, who used philosophy as a tool to dissect the Algerian identity crisis and transcend its false dualities.
Keywords: right to philosophize, Algerian thought, concepts, revolution, communication, identity