Muslim, Not Supermuslim: A Critique of Islamicate Transhumanism^†

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article presents a highly critical approach to ‘Roy Jackson’s proposal for an Islamicate philosophical and theological contribution to the Transhumanist current’. In general, the author/s views are well and eloquently expounded, showing Jackson’s debatable usage of some aspects of Islamic thought, especially Muhammad Iqbal’s works. The strongly polemic tone of the reviewed article can be seen as both an advantage and disadvantage. The author attacks the premises of Jackson’s thinking, using the postcolonial approach, and trying to prove that Transhumanism is a sort of an ideology of whiteness and white male domination. An interesting aspect is also extending of the critical concept into the field of political theology, however this aspect could be developed further and presented more clearly.                   

The selection of sources (state-of-the-art literature) is very wide, proving author/s proficiency in the topic. Also, ‘References” section  provides a lot of additional and comparative material. Referring to the terminology used, the adjective “Islamicate” is gaining more popularity in the scientific literature, but can be a little bit ambiguous for non-Islamic Studies audience, so probably it needs clarification, especially its relation of the traditionally utilised adjective ‘Islamic’.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Highly innovative discussion on an issue that is of international importance.

Author Response

Comments 1: Highly innovative discussion on an issue that is of international importance.

Response 1: No improvements were required by the reviewer so none made in respect of their comments.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This submission is a densely written, highly critical assessment of a new book that advocates Transhumanism in the Islamicate tradition. It is rooted in a set of critical assumptions regarding race and (post-) colonialism that are linked to previous publications but not fully articulated in this specific submission. In a very real sense, this "article" is a continuation of the author's previous critical work on Transhumanism and requires of readers an understand of said previous work for a full understanding. It seems to be part of an ongoing effort among a cohort of scholars--many cited in this article--to challenge, if not denigrate, Transhumanism for its inherent "whiteness" agenda and defend Islam/Muslims from any taint of it. 

 

This is a fascinating topic and one that will no doubt increase in interest as debates about AI/tech leach into the humanities. The author concedes that few works have been published on Transhumanism, and fewer still that do from a Muslim/Islam/Islamicated perspective. For the author, the need to reject Transhumanism rests on both academic and moral grounds because Transhumanism reflects the most recent attempt on the part of whites to ensure their hegemony--to project their supremacy into the very future that is on the technological horizon, to colonize the future as it were. Working from a decolonial and race theory, the author identifies Roy Jackson's book Muslim and Supermuslim as an example of this colonial project of whiteness, whether Jackson or other scholars of Transhumanism recognize what they are engaging in is racially charged or not.  

Whatever the accuracy of the author's assessment of Transhumanism, it comes across in this submission as a set of claims/accusations, not clear-headed arguments, because the author's real case against Transhumanism was made in a previous article. This article relies heavily on the previous article, assuming that readers will have either read it or accept its damning conclusions. As a result, it can sometimes come across as a moral rant against Transhumanism in general and Islamicate justifications of Transhumanism in particular. Indeed, it reads less like a journal article and more like a critical review--and a critical review that piles it on.

This submission has the potential to be an insightful book review or critical review, but in its current state it does not make a convincing academic case...unless one is already a convert to the author's world view that "modernity" consists on ongoing colonialism and white hegemony. Put differently, the author seems to be speaking to those who already buy into the articles theoretical underpinnings of critical race theory and decolonialism. Of course, to transform this submission into a book review would require a more balanced treatment of Jackson's book, which it is clear that the author has read very carefully and knows. This submission might also fit, though with some rethinking, into a special issue on Transhumanism.

On a stylistic note, the author might consider reworking several passages that are overly convoluted and difficult to read. The conclusion is a prime example of such a passage.

Finally, though not having read Jackson's book, this reviewer can well understand some of the objections this article raises, and the inherent orientalist mindset that seems to inform said book. It is disturbing and understandably problematic from both an academic and "religious" perspective. 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf