“Language has multiple uses, and is embedded in different forms of life. It is not necessary to have this grand concept of "humanity" in order to behave decently.” DifferentUseFormHumanityOrderLanguageConceptsBehaveMultipleEmbedded Author:Talal Asad
“You should never employ your intellect but only that it is not essential to exercise it in order to live a humane life. Language permeates all of life, of course, and one's mind is essential to it, but that does not mean intellectuality should transcend all of life.” ShouldMindMeanDoeOrderCoursesLanguageExerciseEssentialsIntellectHumane Author:Talal Asad
“I'm not criticizing how people experience what they might call spirituality. I am interested in looking critically at something else - at how people use their language to articulate theories about something they call religion, to say, for example, that "in Islam religion and politics necessarily go together," or to insist that "violence has no place in religion," to universalize it.” PeopleUseMightTogetherSpiritualityLanguageViolenceExampleTheoryIslamCriticizeReligion And Politics Author:Talal Asad
“I think the approach to Islam as a tradition is helpful. Tradition helps us to focus on questions about authority and temporality, and about the language used in relation to the two.” ThinkingTwoHelpingUsedLanguageFocusAuthorityApproachTraditionRelationIslamHelpfulTemporality Author:Talal Asad
“For the law, the clarity of language and the finality of judgment is crucial, because you have to decide a case one way or another - whether it is criminal or civil or whatever. In ordinary life, you do not have to decide things with absolute finality. You do not have to decide on a theory in order to behave in a certain way towards other people.” PeopleWayLawCertainOrderLanguageCasesTheoryJudgmentOrdinaryAbsolutesCriminalsClarityOne WayBehaveCrucialOrdinary LifeFinality Author:Talal Asad
