Imagination of Innocence: Ricoeur and the Islamic Notion of Natural Disposition (Fitra)

Autores

  • Selami Varlik Istanbul 29 Mayis University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/errs.2026.758

Palavras-chave:

Ricœur, Imagination of Innocence, Evil, Islamic Theology, Natural Disposition (fitra), al-Māturīdī

Resumo

This article examines the ways in which the imagination of innocence in Ricœur resonates with the Islamic notion of fitra. Two major discrepancies are first identified: whereas Ricœur inherits a Christian vision of evil as an originary scandal, fitra designates the human being’s natural disposition toward the good; and whereas Ricœurian fault resists any rational demonstration of God’s existence, fitra – particularly in al-Māturīdī – grounds the human capacity to recognize God through reason. Yet a convergence emerges: for Ricœur, the Fall is only thinkable against the backdrop of a goodness and innocence that are more primordial and persist in superimposition. The aim here is not to establish a consensus between the two approaches, but to explore the possibility of a mutual decentering, articulated around a double logic of “in spite of”: imagining the good in spite of evil in Ricœur, and imagining the possibility of fault in spite of the primacy of the good in Islamic thought – in such a way that each intellectual tradition may revitalize its own categories through contact with the other.

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Publicado

2026-07-30

Edição

Vol. 17 N.º 1 (2026): Ricœur Across the World: Intercultural Receptions and Dialogues

Secção

Articles

Licença

Direitos de Autor (c) 2026 Selami Varlik

Licença Creative Commons

Este trabalho encontra-se publicado com aLicença Internacional Creative Commons Atribuição-NãoComercial-SemDerivações 3.0.


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