Re: Can pure Islamic thinking only exist in underdeveloped or repressive environments
I avoided using the word progress as it is somewhat subjective. Modernity and development are both somewhat empirical terms, whereas progress I guess depends on where you start. I wouldnt qualify Iran as either modern or developed (nor do I regard it as progressive for that matter).
Lets begin with some definitions:
Modernity typically denotes “a post-traditional, post-medieval historical period”, in particular, one marked by progress from agrarianism via the rise of industrialism, capitalism, secularization, the nation-state, and its constituent institutions and forms of surveillance (Barker 2005, 444). …
Modernization typically involves a rationalization of society’s functions (as opposed to motivations based in religion or tradition). The bolded parts in the above definition are also reasons why religion is usually having to respond to the pressures of modernization. Whether your adapt, or reject, your intellectual output will be coloured by modernization, and it wont be the same as the fictional Islamic society mentioned in my last post.
Development is again a measurable quantity. Iran does OK, it is ranked 70th out of 160 countries, basically about midway. Without incurring argument, it is clear that some measure of suppression is required in keeping modernity at bay, as evidenced by the recurring protests.