The Epistemological Paradigm in Contemporary Arab Philosophical Thought: Foundations, Approaches, and Critical Horizons

his study examines the epistemological orientation of contemporary Arab philosophical thought, emphasizing its sustained engagement with epistemological inquiry as an indispensable intellectual and civilizational necessity.Despite the diversity of its referential frameworks, methodological foundations, and theoretical objectives, Arab thought-whether in its Eastern or Western manifestations-has demonstrated a shared commitment to interrogating the conditions, limits, and validity of knowledge within a rapidly evolving scientific and cultural context.This engagement unfolds within a critical project that seeks to endow scientific knowledge with an Arab philosophical imprint through a plurality of conceptual tools and intellectual approaches.While contemporary Arab epistemological discourse often draws upon Western philosophical paradigms and is sometimes burdened with ideological presuppositions inherited from them, it nevertheless articulates an autonomous critical vision aimed at rereading Arab intellectual heritage-long insulated from systematic critique-through modern epistemic instruments.In doing so, it endeavors to dismantle entrenched modes of thought, expose structural epistemological obstacles within the Arab intellectual tradition, and diagnose the causes of scientific and cognitive stagnation in Arab societies.The article argues that these epistemological endeavors should not be viewed as mere acts of imitation or intellectual dependency, but rather as formative and evolving critical projects striving for consolidation and theoretical maturity.Their richness in concepts, analytical procedures, and methodological innovations necessitates a deep, contextualized, and rigorous reading.Ultimately, the study underscores that epistemological inquiry constitutes a fundamental condition for the renewal of Arab rationality, the reconstruction of scientific consciousness, and the reconfiguration of the relationship between heritage, modernity, and knowledge production in the contemporary Arab world.