With Classical Arabic and the Hibernation of the Arab Mind, Lebanon's Walid Khalilinvestigates why Arab societies have, as a rule, not been pulled along by the historical currents that have brought the Western world to the state we call "Modernity." His multi-disciplinary analysis touches on concepts as distinct as cooperation, diversity, network theory and dialectics.
And yet, he shows how these disciplines intertwine in such a way as to explain much of what has gone wrong in the Middle East, and much of what went right in the West. Most importantly, Khalil points to a likely solution to a problem so big that, paradoxically, many in the Arab world
literally cannot see it.
The problem can be summarized in one word: language. Arab societies are stretched across a gap between two languages, the spoken language of everyday conversation and Classical Arabic, an ancestral language that is still the official written version of Arabic. This unusual dichotomy means that cooperation in any broad sense is difficult. Communication is superficial. Linguistic tools necessary for engaging in scientific endeavors simply do not exist. And so, the Arab world enjoys nothing like the unity of culture and purpose that is so natural and easy in the West.
Fortunately, a course out of these doldrums is possible, says Khalil. He explains that the Arab world needs to develop a functional grammar for writing in their various spoken languages — an innovation most other advanced societies undertook centuries ago. Practically speaking, this will involve some missteps, some trial and error, but eventually a grammar for native, spoken Arabic will evolve. Translations from foreign languages and Classical Arabic into the spoken Arabic is an obvious starting point for this new realm. Sooner rather than later, authorship and readership will skyrocket. And finally, a modern and forward-looking Arab society will emerge that can once more stand on a level field — intellectually, scientifically — with the rest of the world.
Among the criteria distinguishing modernized nations, strong political cohesion is necessary. As Walid Khalil contends in Classical Arabic and the Hibernation of the Arab Mind, without national loyalty and pride among the citizenry, there is a poor commitment to work toward progressive change. This absence of citizen fidelity is most prevalent in the contemporary Arab world. Explanations for depressed growth and internal disunity have been attributed to factors such as the attempt to institute Pan-Arabism, inherently subsuming other political boundaries. A continuum of oppressive authoritarian rule has served to establish a sense of ‘backwardness’. In contrast with such explanations, Khalil puts forward that these facts are manifestations rather than causes for a continuum of stagnation. Rather, the root cause is the significance of something clear but unrecognized; the absence of a written language in modern Arabic. The correlation between sophisticated linguistic expression—that which cannot be communicated orally-- and national advancement is the core thesis. The primary reason stems from internal disregard, or as Khalil terms it, a state of hibernation. However, despite its rich complexity, teaching classical Arabic is not the answer as that would be comparable to incorporating the language of Chaucer in the classroom as the norm. The salience of this proposition is exceptionally well-defended.
Walid Khalil initiates argumentation by noting the difference between universalist and particularist language, where the former is independent of social and interpersonal connections, resulting in the creation of advanced networks with extensive outreach. By contrast, particularist connections exist within a small circle of contacts impeding the realization of substantive information that is neither intellectually nor culturally different. Such limitation innately renders diversity a threat rather than a resource, fortifying an “us” vs. “them” mentality. Dialectical exchange, where vitalized ideas necessarily change through spirited intellectual engagement, is another hallmark of modernity. There is also strong support based on distinctive neurological patterns. In delineating how theory and philosophy indelibly support a change that would take comparatively little effort, such as revising school curriculums in light of revived awareness, Classical Arabic and the Hibernation of the Arab Mind makes this shift a pragmatic necessity. Reconfiguring awareness on a broad scale is critical to institute paradigmatic change that must take place if the Arab Dark Ages are to end.
