Substance and the Infinite

The Genealogy of Philosophia Emancipatoria

Abstract

This paper engages with Wolfram Hogrebe’s compelling argument that philosophy in a globalized world must transcend the mere pursuit of rationality to embrace the exploration of spirituality, particularly focusing on the concept of the “infinite” he discerns within the a priori structures of human intellect. It further elucidates how, in Ibn Arabi, whom Hogrebe examines, the notion of the “infinite” becomes pivotal in critiquing Aristotelian substance. This perspective strengthens Asef Bayat’s critique of Jürgen Habermas. To this end, the paper draws on Simon Critchley’s phenomenological studies of mysticism, as both Hogrebe and Bayat emphasize the significance of mystical spirituality. However, unlike Critchley’s focus on Christian mysticism, this study turns to the Arabic philosophical tradition underpinning Habermas’s theoretical framework, particularly through Schelling, which aligns with Ibn Arabi’s tradition. Within this tradition, Ibn Arabi articulates an a priori “infinite” to resist reification, offering a concept distinct from Aristotelian substance. The anthropology thus presented reflects the paradigmatic ideals of Islamic mysticism referenced by Bayat. Through examining the concepts of substance and the infinite, this paper proposes a philosophy of religion that emancipates thought toward flexibility and openness.