Ibn Tufayl: Living the Life of Reason

Makers of the Muslim World

by Taneli Kukkonen

Ibn Tufayl (1105-1185) was an Andalusian courtier, philosopher, Sufi master and royal physician to the Almohad Caliphs. He inspired the twelfth-century Andalusian revolt against Ptolemaic astronomy and through his sponsorship he was also responsible for the career of the most renowned Aristotelian of medieval times, Abu al-Walid Ibn Rushd (the Latin Averroes). In Ibn Tufayl, we see an exemplar of the kind of versatile and pious scholar early Almohad culture wanted to cultivate.

Ibn Tufayl’s own intellectual outlook is preserved for us in Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, a philosophical romance that is one of the most beloved and best read pieces in all Arabic literature. A popular and often-copied work in early modern Europe, Hayy has for many come to represent what is distinctive of high classical Arabic philosophy. Ibn Tufayl sets one of the most famous Arabic philosophical works of all time in its historical and philosophical context: it paints a vivid portrait of the world as Ibn Tufayl saw it and as he wished for it to be seen.

Genres: Philosophy

160 pages, Hardcover

First published November 17, 2014

About the author

Taneli Kukkonen has held appointments at the Universities of Victoria, Jyväskylä, and Otago. He is currently Visiting Professor in Philosophy at New York University Abu Dhabi. He has published widely on topics in Arabic philosophy and the Aristotelian tradition.

Reviews

[Arman Firman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm falling in love with this series! Every book is so awesome!!

There is almost no sources for the life of ibn tufayl. So the whole book was pretty much a study of his book hayy ibn yaqzan. The way Dr kukkonen has brought out facts from this book is astonishing. After reading this book one can truly appreciate in tufayl's classic.

[Mehmet Koç · Rating 3 out of 5]

12.yy’daki Endülüs aydınlanmasının önemli filozoflarından İbn Tufeyl’in entelektüel biyografisi ve meşhur romanı Hay b. Yakzân’ın felsefî arkaplanı üzerine ciddi ve başarılı bir inceleme.

Bir yandan da Aristoteles, Platon, Galen, Endülüs, Fârâbî, İbn Sina, Gazalî, İbn Arabî vd üzerine iyi bir ufuk turu...

Yakında Türkçede...

[Mostafa · Rating 3 out of 5]

تحليل متكامل للأفكار الفلسفية المضمّنة في حي بن يقظان مع إشارات من هنا وهناك إلى السياق العلمي لهذه الآراء. مطالعتي للكتاب كانت أقرب للفضول بطريقة التقديم والتحليل والتعليق منها إلى كتاب ابن طفيل ذاته. طريقة تبويب الكتاب ومحاولة تفكيك قصة حي بن يقظان إلى أفكارها الفلسفية وحججها هو الذي كان ممتعا بالنسبة لي. كيف تأخذ كتابا ما، تدركه وتفهمه، وتفهم سياقاته، ثم تقدّمه بطريقة متكاملة، أكاديمية؟ هذا ما كنت أبتغي جوابه من هذه المطالعة، وكانت ممتعة من هذا الجانب.

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"Ibn Tufayl's singular achievement lay in the bold and confident way he indicated that a grand intellectual synthesis could be achieved that would incorporate the insights of the medical professionals, the Aristotelian philosophers, and the Sufis (to name a few)."
فكرة توحيد وأقلمة الأنظمة الفكرية المختلفة في نسق واحد ليست مستغربة في السياق التراثي، بل شبه شائع، مثال ذلك: ابن سينا مع الكلام الاعتزالي، الغزالي مع الفلسفة، الرازي مع كل علوم ومذاهب الدنيا، وهكذا. شيوع synthesis الأنظمة هذا يدل على انفتاح فكري وسعي دؤوب غير مقيّد نحو الحق.

[Rusty del Norte · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kokkonen's book about Tufayl is an analysis of his philosophy. Mainly, it is an study of his main work: Hayy ibn Yaqdhan.

On the positive, the first two chapters are a good introduction to Muslim Spain. Some of the background of the Almohad revolution is mentioned & the state of affairs during Umayyad rule. This is important setup for the any historical character as it help understanding the period.

The biggest drawback about this book is the lack of quotations. There are none. Instead, this comes off as a mere introduction & commentary of his work. It talks about Aristotelian Philosophy & its effects on Arab philosophers, but there are no direct quotes. This makes reading this book a bit of a bore.

If you are looking to study this poet, I would only use this as a commentary. Otherwise, it is not worth the read.

[Colm Gillis · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book with much potential but a testament to poor execution. The basic idea was to produce a commentary on Ibn Tufayl's Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, a forerunner to Robinson Crusoe. I really liked the structure and the way the writer approached the topic. What was disappointing was the unimaginative manner in which the topic was discussed and the lack of insight. This has the constant feel of an interesting first draft but really needed a lot of work.