Mutahhari’s Conception of Public Reason: Concepts, Sources, and a Brief Note on Turkish Reception

Abstract

This article aims to examine the intellectual positioning of Murtaza Mutahhar?—one of the most prominent figures of twentieth-century Iranian thought—within both historical and theoretical frameworks. Focusing on Mutahhar?’s intellectual identity, innovative linguistic strategies, and public discursive interventions, the study explores his effort to construct a dialogical bridge between the classical Hawza tradition and modern academic discourse. Drawing on Edward Said’s notion of the “universal intellectual,” Jürgen Habermas’s theory of communicative action and the public sphere, Michel Foucault’s distinction between knowledge and consciousness, and Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of “epistemic habitus,” the article analyzes the discursive structure of Mutahhar?’s thought. Another key focus of the article is the reception of Mutahhar?’s works in post-1980 Turkey. His translated texts, which circulated through magazines, publishing houses, and intellectual platforms, constituted not only a private reading practice but also a discursive intervention that contributed to the intellectual transformation of Turkish Islamism. Through indicators such as editorial strategies, the publication of articles in periodicals, and growing academic interest, the study investigates the influence of Mutahhar?’s ideas—particularly among younger generations—on regional formations of Islamic public reason. Methodologically, the article adopts a multilayered strategy combining qualitative discourse analysis with conceptual textual interpretation. Mutahhar?’s conceptual architecture, discursive patterns, and social critiques are examined through intertextual readings within the context of Islamic intellectual history. Special attention is given to key notions such as “philosophical insight” (bas?rat), “public reason,” and “intellectual responsibility.” These analyses reveal not only the nature of Mutahhar?’s intellectual identity but also the dynamic interplay between discourse and its historical and social context. Ultimately, the article conceptualizes Mutahhar?’s intellectual practice as a transnational form of public reason that resonates beyond Iran in both regional and interdisciplinary dimensions. His legacy is marked by an effort to transform traditional epistemic structures within the Hawza, combining epistemological reform with ethical critique. Thus, Mutahhar? should be reevaluated as a critical, transformative, and participatory Islamic intellectual. From this perspective, the article calls for a renewed discussion on the role of public reason and intellectual representation within Islamic thought.