Shershah Khan

writer on history, theology and philosophy

Compiled from 2 recorded interviews. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Shershah Khan is described as a versatile writer and content creator who explores history, theology and philosophy. He is a student of Computer Science and Philosophy. He was born in North Waziristan.

Early life and background

Khan's great grandfather was a congressman with the Indian National Congress. Khan says his family, going back to his great grandfather and that man's father, had lived in the same place for a very long time. His father was a local teacher at a school. [2]

Khan says his family left Waziristan in 2008 because of a concern about studies. He says conditions in Waziristan were bad at that time because of the Taliban. He says he did not know Urdu at all. He found even Peshawari Pashto very hard to understand at that time. [2]

Education

Khan's mother was very concerned about his education. He says he got 89 on a mid-term exam, and that his school results were very good and his family was happy with them. He studied at Edwardes College. He joined an English literary society. [2]

After 12th grade he did not apply to any university. He took many courses on psychology and considered studying law. He says he started his study of philosophy with Bertrand Russell and Wittgenstein. He says he is learning machine learning and studying on his own. [2]

Career

Khan says his own project is to introduce the philosophies of two professors in Pakistan. He describes combining the best capabilities of humans with the best capabilities of artificial intelligence. He says he stays on Twitter to interact with students. [1][2]

Reading

Khan reads two to four hours a day. He highly recommends the book The Death of Expertise and recommends the book The Disenchantment of Secular Discourse. He recommends Wittgenstein to everyone. He taught a five-lecture course on the book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World. [2]

Views on modernity and the state

Khan says that, arguably, Islamic modernism in the Muslim world began with Sir Syed. He says Muslim modernists explicitly opposed secularism. He says Jinnah was a Muslim modernist and not a secularist. He says it would be a good contribution if Pakistanis could articulate Muslim modernity. [1]

Khan says the modern state is a centralized entity that tries to regulate people's lives, and that he disagrees with the modern state. He says the full package of modernity was imposed through colonialism. He says a process that took centuries in the West was imposed readymade in the colonial era. He says there is a difference between conquest and colonialism, and that Muslims never legally colonized any community. [1]

Khan says the spirit of modernity is universal and any community can access it. He says the fact of modernity, meaning its application, is local. He says a fine modernity has to be more indigenous. [1]

Views on Pakistan

Khan says that Jinnah was Pakistan and Pakistan was Jinnah, and that there was no one else. He says Pakistan's political side has always been fractured. He argues that Pakistan has been largely a bureaucratically controlled country. He says Pakistan has become politically weak. [1]

Khan says consensus is inevitable. He says Pakistan should accept that a new Pakistan is coming and start negotiating concessions. He says Pakistan can have an identity that is comfortable in the modern world. He says history can prove very instructive. He also says there are things that cannot be shared even within a group of friends. [1]

Khan argues the problems in Pakistan are largely economic. He says economics is an outcome of a society beginning to trust each other. He says his main argument is that everyone should be brought to the same table to discuss. [1]

Khan says he is personally in favour of an Islamic state. He says he is not saying the system of the Taliban should be brought in, only that it may work for them. He says what matters most is that people in those regions have the freedom to live as they have for thousands of years. [1]

Views on Islamic intellectual history

Khan describes a classical period that runs up until the time of al-Ghazali. He says the post-classical tradition runs from the 12th century to the 18th or 19th century. He says that after al-Ghazali there were four philosophical projects. He says Fakhr al-Din al-Razi would be on his top ten list of minds. [2]

Khan says Ibn Sina was not a Mu'tazilite, despite common belief, and that Ibn Sina considered himself a conservative Muslim. He says one of the sharpest mathematicians in the Muslim world was a mosque timekeeper. He says the greatest theologians in the Muslim world were also among its greatest scientists. [2]

Khan says the dominant narrative in public discourse today is the decline narrative. He says the largest astronomical observatory in the world was built in 1259 in modern-day Iran. He says about 60% of Ottoman real estate was allocated to waqf institutions. He says the money allocated to waqf each year had become literally zero by 1850. He says this collapse has been called an epistemic rupture. [2]

Khan says Muslim scholars after 1850 or 1900 argued for socialism, capitalism and human rights in relation to Islam. He says the Muslim world is not producing good intellectual output. He says he wants every Muslim, and non-Muslims too, to understand their own tradition. [2]

Khan says calling madrasas inherently destructive is intellectual dishonesty. He says madrasa systems may need reform. He argues that people who teach or talk about Islam do not inevitably become terrorists, since correlation is not causation. [2]

Views on the West

Khan asks who said there is a rule-based world order and who defined its rules. He says the problem is how the Western global North defines and drives women's rights. He says the West usually refers to Northwestern Europe plus North America. He says the modern idea of Europe is about 200 years old. He says the Eurocentric account of the West rests on Greek tradition, Roman law and Christianity. [2]

Khan says Northwestern Europe was always at the periphery of global trade. He says war fueled scientific advancement. He says the Age of Enlightenment was an age of debates. He says Enlightenment thinkers took inspiration from Ottoman tolerance. [2]

Khan cites an argument that individualism emerged as a political, cultural and religious project. He says the church banned cousin marriages in the 8th or 9th century. He says Western dominance is a recent phenomenon, about 300 years old. He says, reading history, that he does not think Western dominance will sustain. [2]

Khan expects things to get worse because of the water crisis and floods. He expects climate-driven unrest to bring leaders who promise a bigger future. [2]

Views on education

Khan says he feels the system is largely driven by scores. He says hard skills will become obsolete quickly in the age of AI. He says Pakistan lacks a culture of teacher and student collaboration. He says he is hopeful about Pakistan, especially in education. He says reforming education is his main focus. [2]

Personal life

Khan describes himself as an introvert. He says he was anonymous because he did not want to reveal his identity. He says that after his identity became public he felt a responsibility to speak more responsibly. He says social media frightens him, and that he needs to explore his arguments more and deliver them with precision. [1][2]

Khan says he is obsessed with Indonesia and sees many similarities with Pakistan in how each has been governed. He says he went to Saudi Arabia for Umrah. He says he wants to stay in Pakistan. He says he does not want to move abroad, but may study abroad for a master's degree. [1][2]

Timeline

2008
His family left Waziristan because of a concern about studies.[2]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2024-10-09 Pakistan's identity is not a product of our organic history Thought Behind Things
2023-10-18 How the West actually rose, and why the Muslim decline is a myth Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Shershah Khan?

Shershah Khan is described as a versatile writer and content creator who explores history, theology and philosophy. He is a student of Computer Science and Philosophy.[1][2]

What does Shershah Khan do?

Shershah Khan writes about history, theology and philosophy, and is described as a content creator. He is a student of Computer Science and Philosophy. He says he is learning machine learning and studying on his own.[1][2]

Where did Shershah Khan study?

Shershah Khan studied at Edwardes College. He is a student of Computer Science and Philosophy. He says he started his study of philosophy with Bertrand Russell and Wittgenstein.[2]

Where is Shershah Khan from?

Shershah Khan was born in North Waziristan. He says his family left Waziristan in 2008 because of a concern about studies.[2]

What is Shershah Khan known for?

Shershah Khan is described as a writer and content creator who explores history, theology and philosophy. He says his own project is to introduce the philosophies of two professors in Pakistan.[1]

What does Shershah Khan think about Islamic intellectual history?

Shershah Khan says the dominant narrative in public discourse today is the decline narrative. He says the greatest theologians in the Muslim world were also among its greatest scientists. He says he wants every Muslim, and non-Muslims too, to understand their own tradition.[2]

What is Shershah Khan's view on education?

Shershah Khan says reforming education is his main focus. He says he feels the system is largely driven by scores. He says he is hopeful about Pakistan, especially in education.[2]

Does Shershah Khan want to live abroad?

Shershah Khan says he wants to stay in Pakistan. He says he does not want to move abroad, but may study abroad for a master's degree.[2]

References

  1. Pakistan's identity is not a product of our organic history . Thought Behind Things , 2024-10-09.
  2. How the West actually rose, and why the Muslim decline is a myth . Thought Behind Things , 2023-10-18.
Show the source passages (112 statements)
  1. Sher Shah Khan is described as a versatile writer and content creator who explores History, Theology and Philosophy. Sher Shah Khan is a versatile writer and content creator who specializes in exploring the intricate intersections of History, Theology and Philosophy.
  2. Khan says his life has changed a great deal since the podcast he recorded. Yeah, I mean us time se meri life bahut change ho gayi hai. I think thanks to the podcast that I recorded.
  3. Khan says university students tell him they have seen the podcast. like university mein log aate hain, matlab mujhe kehte hain ke I have seen your podcast
  4. Khan says he was anonymous because he did not want to reveal his identity. main anonymous tha because I did not I did not want to reveal my identity.
  5. Khan says that after his identity became public he felt a responsibility to speak more responsibly. Lekin jab yeh hua ke meri identity jab reveal ho gayi toh I felt responsibility ke yaar ab mujhe zara responsible tareeqe se baat karni chahiye.
  6. Khan says social media frightens him. social media is actually I mean it actually scares me.
  7. Khan says he needs to explore his arguments more and deliver them with precision. mujhe apne arguments ko zyada explore karna chahiye aur apne arguments ko kis matlab ek precise andaaz mein deliver karna chahiye
  8. Khan says that, arguably, Islamic modernism in the Muslim world began with Sir Syed. I think arguably pure Muslim world mein Islamic modernism ki shuruat Sir Syed se shuru hui hai.
  9. Khan says Muslim modernists explicitly opposed secularism. Agar aap Muslim modernist literature ko dekhein toh woh explicitly kehte hain ke we don't we oppose secularism.
  10. Khan says Jinnah was a Muslim modernist and not a secularist. Toh Jinnah ko bhi agar dekhein, he was a Muslim modernist, he was not a secularist.
  11. Khan says that Jinnah was Pakistan and Pakistan was Jinnah, and that there was no one else. Jinnah was Pakistan and Pakistan was Jinnah and then baaki koi tha hi nahi.
  12. Khan says the modern state is a centralized entity that tries to regulate people's lives. modern state mein yeh hai ke aapke paas ek centralized state hai, ek ek entity hai jo aapke literally agar aap sochein toh aapki zindagi ke har ek movement ko woh regulate karne ki koshish kar rahi hai.
  13. Khan says he disagrees with the modern state. I also disagree with the modern state
  14. Khan says Pakistan's political side has always been fractured. Mera zaati khayal yeh hai ki Pakistani political side to hamesha se fractured thi.
  15. Khan argues that Pakistan has been largely a bureaucratically controlled country. Main kahunga ki uh it was largely a bureaucratic controlled country.
  16. Khan says Pakistan has become politically weak. I think politically hamara mulk bahut hi kamzor ho gaya hai.
  17. Khan says consensus is inevitable. For me the consensus is an inevitability.
  18. Khan says Pakistan should accept that a new Pakistan is coming and start negotiating concessions. The smarter thing would be to acknowledge that ek naya Pakistan aana hai and so let's start to have the conversation of what concessions we have to build.
  19. Khan says there are things that cannot be shared even within a group of friends. Even you cannot even share this with agar aapka koi group bhi hai doston ka
  20. Khan says history can prove very instructive. history can prove to be very uh instructive
  21. Khan says Pakistan can have an identity that is comfortable in the modern world. we can have a Pakistani identity that uh is comfortable in the modern world.
  22. Khan says a process that took centuries in the West was imposed readymade in the colonial era. Phir yahan pe woh jo 600, 700 saal se jo ek process chal raha tha organic west mein woh jab final product tak pahuncha toh colonial era mein woh yahan pe readymade tareeqe se yahan pe impose hua.
  23. Khan says the full package of modernity was imposed through colonialism. Modernity mein jo pura jo pura package hai woh colonialism ke aah mein yahan pe impose hua.
  24. Khan says there is a difference between conquest and colonialism. There is a difference between conquest and colonialism
  25. Khan says Muslims never legally colonized any community. musalmanon ne kabhi kisi community ko legally colonize nahi kiya
  26. Khan says the spirit of modernity is universal and any community can access it. spirit of modernity universal hai sari koi bhi community ho woh usko access kar sakti hai
  27. Khan says the fact of modernity, meaning its application, is local. Lekin iske baad hai the fact of modernity matlab ya the application of modernity. Yeh local hai.
  28. Khan says a fine modernity has to be more indigenous. I think of a fine modernity it has to be more indigenous essentially.
  29. Khan says his own project is to introduce the philosophies of two professors in Pakistan. mera khud apna project yeh hai ke main Pakistan mein um Professor Hallaq aur Professor Taha Abdurrahman um in dono ki philosophies ko yahan pe introduce karwana chahta hoon.
  30. Khan says he is obsessed with Indonesia and sees many similarities with Pakistan in how each has been governed. Main bahut zyada I am obsessed with Indonesia. I think there are insane amounts of similarities between our countries and the way that we've been governed
  31. Khan says economics is an outcome of a society beginning to trust each other. Economics is an outcome of a society beginning to trust each other and working in tandem with each other to be more efficient.
  32. Khan argues the problems in Pakistan are largely economic. the problems that you're looking at in Pakistan are largely economic
  33. Khan says he went to Saudi Arabia for Umrah. mujhe Saudi mein pata hai kya nazar aaya? Main umrah ke liye gaya tha.
  34. Khan says he is personally in favour of an Islamic state. Personally, I'm I'm all all for an Islamic state.
  35. Khan says it would be a good contribution if Pakistanis could articulate Muslim modernity. Pakistani hum Muslim modernity ko articulate kar paye and that will be a good contribution
  36. Khan says he is not saying the system of the Taliban should be brought in, only that it may work for them. I'm not saying bring the system of Taliban. I'm just saying it works, it may work for them
  37. Khan says his main argument is that everyone should be brought to the same table to discuss. Meri total argument yeh hai ki we have to discuss and bring everybody to the same table at the end of the day.
  38. Khan says what matters most is that people in those regions have the freedom to live as they have for thousands of years. What what what matters is ke actual mein do the people with those regions have freedom to be able to live the way that they have lived for thousands of years
  39. Shershah Khan was born in North Waziristan. I am, I was born in North Waziristan.
  40. He says his family left Waziristan in 2008 because of a concern about studies. in 2008, when we had to move, we had to leave Waziristan because studies ka concern tha.
  41. He says conditions in Waziristan were bad at that time because of the Taliban. kyunki us waqt Waziristan mein halaat kharab the because of the Taliban
  42. His father was a local teacher at a school. My father was a local teacher in uh school, uh Tochi Public School
  43. His great grandfather was a congressman with the Indian National Congress. my great grandfather was a congressman. He was part of all Indian National National Congress.
  44. He says his family, going back to his great grandfather and that man's father, had lived in the same place for a very long time. my uh great grandfather and his father, so we've all like they've been living here for a very long time.
  45. He says Waziristan is a beautiful place. Waziristan is a beautiful place.
  46. He says he has fond memories of Waziristan from his childhood. Yeah, I have uh fond memories actually.
  47. He says Waziristan became the capital of drone strikes some time ago. Waziristan became the capital of drone strikes, uh you know, a while back.
  48. He says the situation in Waziristan became more violent after 2004 and 2005. after 2004 and 5, uske baad phir situation, you know, became a little violent.
  49. He says the tribes of Waziristan are strong and have a democratic system. Wahan ki jo tribes hain, they're very strong and they have a democratic system as well, right?
  50. He says people were trading without any top-down structure such as police, judges or courts. People were trading without any sort of, you know, top-down structure like police or judges or courts.
  51. He says he did not know Urdu at all. Acha, you didn't know Urdu at all? No, no.
  52. He says he found even Peshawari Pashto very hard to understand at that time. mujhe toh Peshawari Pashto bhi bahut matlab mushkil se samajh aati thi us time pe.
  53. He says he got 89 on a mid-term exam. Phir jab woh mid-term ka exam aaya, I got 89.
  54. His mother was very concerned about his education. Because my mother was very concerned about my education.
  55. He says his school results were very good and his family was happy with them. Oh, it was good. It was it was it was great. My parents were happy, everyone, my my entire family was happy with my result.
  56. He says he feels the system is largely driven by scores. So so I feel like the the the system is largely driven by scores.
  57. He says hard skills will become obsolete quickly in the age of AI. we're in the age of AI where hard skills and hard trainings will become obsolete very, very rapidly.
  58. He describes himself as an introvert. I'm an introvert, I like to stay at home.
  59. He studied at Edwardes College. when I was in Edwards College and I would use that book in debates a lot.
  60. He joined an English literary society. So I joined this English literary society.
  61. After 12th grade he did not apply to any university. 12th grade ke baad I didn't apply for any university
  62. He took many courses on psychology and considered studying law. I took many courses on psychology. I thought maybe I should go for law.
  63. He reads two to four hours a day. Oh yeah, that's I read a lot. Like all two, three, three, four hours a day.
  64. He highly recommends the book The Death of Expertise. it's called um The Death of Expertise by Tom Nichols. I highly recommend this.
  65. He recommends the book The Disenchantment of Secular Discourse. It's called the Disenchantment of Secular Discourse by Steven Smith.
  66. He taught a five-lecture course on the book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World. The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan. Okay, one interesting thing that I want to share about this book. I taught a course on this a while. It was five lectures.
  67. He recommends Wittgenstein to everyone. So, I would say Wittgenstein was the one that I recommend to everyone.
  68. He says he started his study of philosophy with Bertrand Russell and Wittgenstein. I started my philosophy journey with Bertrand Russell and Wittgenstein.
  69. He says Ibn Sina was not a Mu'tazilite, despite common belief. people usually think ki Ibn Sina was a Mu'tazilite. He wasn't.
  70. He says Fakhr al-Din al-Razi would be on his top ten list of minds. if I had to make a list of like top 10 uh, you know, genius minds, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi definitely would be there on on on that list.
  71. He describes a classical period that runs up until the time of al-Ghazali. The first is the first part is classical, classical period. So, that is up until the time of Al-Ghazali.
  72. He says the post-classical tradition runs from the 12th century to the 18th or 19th century. Aur uske baad like from the 1200 uh, jo 12th century se lekar 19th, 18th century tak, that's the post-classical tradition.
  73. He says that after al-Ghazali there were four philosophical projects. It talks about that after Al-Ghazali, there were four philosophical uh projects. One was by Al-Ghazali, the other one was uh uh Yahya Suhrawardi. The third was uh Abu Barakat al-Baghdadi, and the fourth one was, you know, the the genius Fakhr al-Din al-Razi.
  74. He says the dominant narrative in public discourse today is the decline narrative. jo sabse jo dominant narrative, I think aaj public discourse mein hai, and this will actually shock you, woh yeh hai ki uh, it's the decline narrative
  75. He says the largest astronomical observatory in the world was built in 1259 in modern-day Iran. in 1259, the largest astronomical observatory was built in the entire world actually, like in the entire world. To woh bani um usmein, Maragha mein, modern day Iran.
  76. He says about 60% of Ottoman real estate was allocated to waqf institutions. 60% of the real estate was allocated to waqf institutions in the Ottoman Empire.
  77. He says the money allocated to waqf each year had become literally zero by 1850. by 1850, the jo waqf ke liye jo paisa allocate hua tha, right, jo har saal hota tha, that became literally zero.
  78. He says this collapse has been called an epistemic rupture. so this collapse has been called epistemic rupture
  79. He says Muslim scholars after 1850 or 1900 argued for socialism, capitalism and human rights in relation to Islam. post-1850s ya post-1900 keh lein, you will see Muslim scholars arguing for socialism and Islam, capitalism and Islam, you know, human rights and Islam.
  80. He says Ibn Sina considered himself a conservative Muslim. Ibn Sina considered himself to be a like a, you know, a conservative Muslim, right?
  81. He says one of the sharpest mathematicians in the Muslim world was a mosque timekeeper. So Al-Shatir, I think one of the sharpest mathematicians in a Muslim world, he was a mosque timekeeper.
  82. He says the greatest theologians in the Muslim world were also among its greatest scientists. The greatest theologians were also the greatest scientists in the Muslim world.
  83. He says calling madrasas inherently destructive is intellectual dishonesty. to say that madrasas inherently are are are are destructive is is in my opinion is it's it's a it's intellectual dishonesty dishonesty.
  84. He says madrasa systems may need reform. rather than saying ke listen like madrasa systems may require um reformation
  85. He argues that people who teach or talk about Islam do not inevitably become terrorists, since correlation is not causation. teaching Islam, the correlation is not causation, right? So, uh because you've had a troubled history in the last 30 years, you cannot say ke anyone who teaches Islam or talks about Islam is going to end up as a terrorist.
  86. He says he wants every Muslim, and non-Muslims too, to understand their own tradition. I want everyone, every Muslim actually to, even non-Muslims are also welcome, to understand our own tradition.
  87. He says he stays on Twitter to interact with students. I've actually stayed on Twitter and you know trying to uh you know interact with students
  88. He says the problem is how the Western global North defines and drives women's rights. The problem is women's rights as driven and defined by the Western uh global North.
  89. He asks who said there is a rule-based world order and who defined its rules. Who said that there is a rule based order of the world? Who defined those rules?
  90. He says the West usually refers to Northwestern Europe plus North America. So when we say the West, it usually we usually refer to Northwestern Europe plus North America, so US, Canada, right?
  91. He says the modern idea of Europe is about 200 years old. The category of Europe jo aaj hai, it's only 200 years old. It was popularized in the 18th century by some like figures like Rousseau, for example.
  92. He says the Eurocentric account of the West rests on Greek tradition, Roman law and Christianity. Ek to hai the Greek tradition, uh the Roman laws, right? So Roman Empire and Christianity.
  93. He says Northwestern Europe was always at the periphery of global trade. The West, jisko hum kehte hain Northwestern Europe, it was always at the periphery of the global trade ya is tarah.
  94. He says war fueled scientific advancement. So war war fueled scientific advancement.
  95. He says the Age of Enlightenment was an age of debates. But that's not true. The Age of Enlightenment was the Age of Debates.
  96. He says Enlightenment thinkers took inspiration from Ottoman tolerance. The Enlightenment philosophers, they uh you know, took motivation from the Ottoman Empire when it came to uh you know, tolerance of different sects.
  97. He cites an argument that individualism emerged as a political, cultural and religious project. Joseph Henrich argues ke individualism emerged, individualism first of all was a political, it was a cultural and a religious project.
  98. He says the church banned cousin marriages in the 8th or 9th century. But what happened in the Western world was in 9th century or 8th century, the church banned cousin marriages.
  99. He says Western dominance is a recent phenomenon, about 300 years old. It's it's a very recent phenomena, 300 years old.
  100. He says, reading history, that he does not think Western dominance will sustain. reading by reading history, I can say ke, um, I don't think that it will sustain.
  101. He expects things to get worse because of the water crisis and floods. I think things will things will get a lot worse. Uh. Because of water crisis, because of, uh, you know, floods.
  102. He expects climate-driven unrest to bring leaders who promise a bigger future. Toh because of climate change, thing there will be political unrest, aur us political unrest ki wajah se you will have fascist, you know, leaders who will promise a brighter, you know, bigger future for the people.
  103. He says the Muslim world is not producing good intellectual output. We are not producing good like intellectual output to be very honest in the Muslim world.
  104. He says Pakistan lacks a culture of teacher and student collaboration. I think in Pakistan we don't have that culture of, you know, uh a teacher and a student, right?
  105. He says he is hopeful about Pakistan, especially in education. I am hopeful uh in the sense that um um again, in one aspect, jo education ka hai, because I'm concerned about this.
  106. He says reforming education is his main focus. Specifically the the the thing that I'm personally focused on, education, reforming education.
  107. He describes combining the best capabilities of humans with the best capabilities of artificial intelligence. Uh we basically you basically combine the best capabilities of humans with the best capabilities of computer science. Right. Oh, sorry, artificial intelligence.
  108. He says he is learning machine learning and studying on his own. I love it. I'm learning my main machine learning padh raha hoon aur uh self-studying.
  109. He said he was in his fifth semester. What semester are you in? Fifth. Fifth semester.
  110. He says he wants to stay in Pakistan. I actually want to stay in Pakistan.
  111. He says he does not want to move abroad, but may study abroad for a master's degree. I don't want to move abroad. Studies ke liye maybe for like master's degree, I'll go for studies.
  112. Shershah Khan is a student of Computer Science and Philosophy. Shershah Khan is a student of Computer Science and Philosophy.