Fwd: Iran's Intellectuals Preoccupation With West

[powercomm 3000]

"Iranian intellectuals, modernism, and the West"

Ali Reza Alavi-Tabar
Kiyan, No 36, Apr-May 1997 pp 22-25

Iran's encounter with the West has been the preoccupation of Iranian
intellectuals for the past 100 years. Iran's response to the West has
been
synonymous with Iran's response to modernism. On the whole, there have
been four different reactions to the West:
According to the first group, the new age is the age of "humanism"
and the end of "God centeredness." The new age is the age of the
destruction of all traditions and former beliefs. Many Iranian
intellectuals could not tolerate the destruction of their culture and
their
traditions and, therefore, they started a campaign against
Westernization.
This outlook could be called "traditionalism and anti-Westernization."
According to the supporters of this view, it was necessary for the
Iranians to follow the West. Modernism was the only solution for all
Iran's traditional ills, such as dictatorship, economic, and
technological
backwardness, anti-rationalism, superstition, inequality, and social
rigidity. According to them, Iran had to follow the path that had been
followed by the West. We should encourage urbanization, literacy,
expanding mass media, increasing industrial production, increasing
political participation of the masses, the establishment of a
parliamentary
democracy, and so on. This outlook could be called "modernism and
Westoxication."
According to the supporters of this outlook, Westernization was not
only necessary but desirable. According to them there were many
profound
reasons behind technology, social engineering, and modernization;
namely,
the belief in rationalism. The inquisitive and critical mind of man can
exist on its own and does not need any external, metaphysical guides.
This
outlook regarded reason as absolute, sufficient and perfect and believed
that through pure reason man can find the solution to all the problems.
In
the West rationalism had evolved over many centuries and had been
elaborated very gradually as the result of many trials and errors; but
in
the East the intellectuals were turning to it in a programmed and
deliberate way. Rationalism became a kind of ideology. The third
outlook
could be called "Modernism and Westernization."
The fourth outlook does not regard the outcome of modernism as having
been very positive. The followers of this school of thought believed
that
rationalism was necessary but was not sufficient. They believed that
human
rationality cannot satisfy all human needs. Rationality by itself would
lead to contradiction and to crises and would ultimately lead to some of
the most reactionary ideologies, such as racism and Nazism. They
believe
that modern rationalism has provided its own criticism and has shown its
own inadequacy for solving all human problems. They point to some of
the
crises and contradictions that exist in the West. This outlook could be
called "modern thinking without modernism and without devotion to the
West."

For the past 100 years, the Iranians have been preoccupied with these
four reactions to the West and to modernism. In order to be able to
choose
between these different outlooks we should bear a few points in mind:
First, modernism is a gradual, communal, and historical process; and it
is
not something that can be accepted or rejected by a few people. Second,
truth is not something that one can achieve easily and without toil and
without a long period of research and learning. When we listen to the
views of other people we are not doing them a favor. It is a price we
should pay in order to arrive at the truth. Therefore, freedom of
expression and exchange of opinions is the only way to discover the
truth.
Third, although we have not yet left behind the traditional society and
have not entered the modern age, at the same time we should not ignore
post-modernism and what it says about modern societies. The experiences
of
the two world wars, the destruction of the environment, racial and
ethnic
tensions, and so on, have shown that with modernism it is not only man's
intellect that is developing, but there is also an increase in man's
madness and irrationality as well. Although both from a material and a
spiritual point of view, rejecting modernism and returning to pre-modern
age is not possible or desirable, yet post-modern ideas may be able to
help
us to avoid some of the excesses of modernism. Recently, Sarat [which
means path] cultural center has published two books: 1. Tradition,
Modernity and Post-Modernism (volume one), which is a series of
interviews
with Akbar Ganji, Daryush Ashuri, Hoseyn Bashiriyeh, Reza Davari, and
Musa
Ghaninezhad (Tehran, Serat Cultural Center, 1375 [1996]). 2. We and
Modernism, by Daryush Ashuri (Tehran, Serat Cultural Center, 1376
[1997]).
Both books deal with the issues of modernism and Westernization. With
the
exception of "modernism and Westoxification" all other three outlooks
described above have been represented in these two books. Dr. Reza
Davari
is closer to the category of "traditionalism and anti-Westernization."
His
criticism of modernism has been greatly influenced by post-modern ideas.
By making use of the ideas of Heideger he tries to support "post-
modernism." (more) apr-may robinson/wb 07/2142z oct WC 845
Dr. Hoseyn Bashiriyeh is a supporter of "modernism." He believes that
modernism is still an unfinished project and this is why we notice
certain
difficulties and contradictions. He believes that "modern rationalism"
will be sufficient in the long-term for solving all the problems.
Daryush
Ashuri and Dr. Musa Ghaninezhad stress the need for turning toward a
rational and critical attitude, but they also point out the limitations
of
rationalism revealed by itself. This is why one can describe them as
followers of the school of "modern thinking without modernism and
without
devotion to the West." Dr. Ghaninezhad refers to the power of
"tradition,"
which exists in nature and in the subconscious understanding of people.
Daryush Ashuri believes that modern rationalism should learn some
humility
and should pay heed to post-modern criticisms. There are also many
common
points in their views: 1. Whether we regard modernism as desirable or
not, we live in a world that has entered the modern age. By living in
the
modern age we have no option but to make use of the achievements of
modernization. 2. Modernism has lost some of its credibility and the
crises and contradictions that we are facing at the end of the 20th
century
have shown us some of the limitations of modernism. 3. Although one can
look at the Western way of life from different points of view, one
cannot
simply regard it as a model. We should try to analyze and dissect the
Western civilization before being able to make a proper critical
appraisal
of it.
We and Modernism, by Daryush Ashuri is similar to the other book, but
it also provides a history of the problems and attitudes of Iranian
intellectuals in their attempts to find a way out of the Iranian
dilemma.
The writer is one of the great Iranian thinkers who was born at the end
of
Reza Shah's dictatorship and together with the rest of that generation
he
looked for new ideas and ideologies, but that period did not last very
long. Under the former shah there was pseudo modernism, royal
patriarchy,
and the oil income was used in order to buy legitimacy for the shah's
regime. In foreign policy Iran was turned into a Western protectorate
and
its economy into a Rentier economy. Those developments led to a period
of
strong anti-Westernism, which was also a reaction against the shah's
dictatorship. One cannot properly evaluate the works of the
intellectuals
of that period -- especially the religious intellectuals -- without
making
reference to the shah's dictatorship. The author of that book sometimes
takes the side of the intellectuals and sometimes criticizes their
views.
His attempts to provide answers to the problems of the age in which we
live
have made his book a very stimulating work.

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