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On Liberty in Talebof’s Thought

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Mehran Mazinani
Mehran Mazinani*
Affiliation:
University of Utah Middle East Center
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Abstract

This article represents Talebof ’s thought on the modern idea of liberty defined in terms of selfishness, selflessness, and selfhood. First, a brief background is set forth in an attempt to show some of the influences on Talebof by others of the Iranian intelligentsia and European philosophers. Having set the stage, his philosophy is represented systematically, as against chronologically. This approach helps to reveal a shortcoming in Talebof ’s philosophy regarding the modern idea of liberty. The shortcoming is evident: Talebof defined liberty in terms of selfishness and selflessness, but then did not dig deep enough to methodically examine selfhood as a more fundamental basis for liberty. The article argues that this shortcoming was caused by a number of factors, including philosophical poverty coupled with natural tendency for reification, and anxiously pragmatic ethos caused by lawlessness under the Qajars and exposure to the hegemonic West. In short, this paper defines the modern idea of liberty, describes Talebof ’s understanding of it, and explains the obstacles that prevented Talebof from setting out a more comprehensive examination of the modern idea of liberty.

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Articles
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Iranian Studies , Volume 49 , Issue 3 , May 2016, pp. 383 - 404
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Iranian Studies 2015

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