Wissen über Grenzen. Zum Versuch einer kritisch-aufklärerischen, transkulturell geweiteten Begriffsgeschichte

Abstract

This introductory essay outlines the programmatic proposal of a critically enlightened and trans-culturally broadened conceptual history. Taking the concept of knowledge as a test case, the authors argue that traditional philosophical conceptual history remains shaped by systematic exclusions, including Eurocentrism, androcentrism, and the marginalization of certain epochs and traditions. The essay contends that conceptual history should not only reconstruct semantic developments but also critically examine the social and political conditions—and the power relations—under which concepts are formed and sedimented. Drawing on debates in feminist and social epistemology, it defends the epistemic value of diversifying the corpus of conceptual-historical inquiry. A trans-culturally broadened approach, the authors suggest, can uncover neglected alternatives, expose contingent conceptual narrowings, and contribute to contemporary debates. The introduction concludes by presenting the three case studies—on Arabic-Islamic philosophy, late medieval thought, and Zen Buddhism—as exploratory steps toward a reoriented practice of conceptual history.