Mahmoud Khatami - Philosophical Influences and Development

Philosophical Influences and Development

Trained in phenomenology as well as classical Islamic philosophy, and profoundly affected by the philosophies of Suhrawardi and Mulla Sadra, and encouraged by philosophy of Martin Heidegger, Khatami developed a distinctive approach that rejects subjectivism and relativism, abjures any simple notion of interpretive method, and focuses on the study of the nature of being.

His work is concentrated in the development of what Khatami terms "ontetic philosophy", encompassing cognitive and conative aspects of being. Khatami's main concern is humanity and human being. His works provide a specific interpretation of humanity, the self and consciousness, and an understanding of the idea of subjectivity. Khatami argues for the efficiency of action as primordial constituent of human being.His philosophy provides an account of the proper ground for human subjectivity while rejecting modern subjectivism. This is not a rejection of modern concerns, but an insistence on the limit of modern understanding.He has also worked intensively on morality and religion as well as the theory and application of art. Khatami's thinking began and remained connected with the Persian thought. The "Persian" character of Khatami's approach is evident, not merely in the central theoretical role he gives to the concept of philosophy in his thinking, but also in his own personal commitment to intellectual engagement and exchange. Indeed, he is one of the few philosophers for whom the "Persian" has become a significant category to "supply" a positive output of modern philosophy. His early engagement with this tradition determined much of the character and direction of his thinking.