Literalism, Metaphor and Cognition: A Question for Islamic Studies — Ali Shukri Amin
First published on my writing site: www.aliamin.info/2026/09/literalism-metaphor-and-cognition-in-islamic-studies/
By Ali Shukri Amin. I first wrote this as comments on r/AcademicQuran, in the thread “AMA with Abdullah Ansar. I work on early Islamic intellectual history, cognitive science, Qurʾānic studies, Shīʿī traditions, and Ḥadīth transmission.”, copied here as written.
Comment 1
Hey Abdullah thanks for this AMA.
I have an armchair theory about cognitive science & Islamic studies that I’d love to get your take on.
It seems to me there is some kind of an analytic versus syncretic gradient in cognition which is mostly either culturally or biologically or developmentally informed? However this gradient seems to impact cognition and specifically interpretative work.
For example the Sifat controversy across Islamic thought. Why do some people lean towards literalism naturally versus metaphorical meanings of texts?
I see this pattern everywhere, in every human endeavor, but I’m not sure how it could be quantified or studied in any objective manner (or if the thesis could be validated or invalidated).
What are your thoughts? Is there a developmental or cognitive component to the degree of literalism or atomistic thinking a person is naturally inclined towards?
Comment 2
This is perfect. Exactly what I’ve been thinking about. Going to give it a read but glad to see it is a real observed phenomenon
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