Ibn Tufayl

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

• PrefaceHayy Ibn Yaqzan: An overview 1 LIFE AND TIMESThe Almohad RevolutionA New Intellectual OrderThe Caves of GuadixThe Medical TraditionIn Royal ServiceSufi, Musicologist, Medical AuthorSponsor 2 HAYYHayy: A SynopsisAn Architectural DesignHayy’s ThemePointers and RemindersThe Spiral PathAuthority and AuthenticationHarmony and Hierarchy 3 ISLAND LIFEThe IslandThe Perfect ClimateFrom Ceylon to MaliThe Twice-born ChildHistory or DramaSeeing with One’s Own EyesBeginning from the BeginningExperience and ArtThe Limits of Skill 4 NATURETaking in the WorldStructure and ScaffoldingSuspended between WorldsNatures and PowersForms and UniversalsSynthesis and AnalysisMatterThe ElementsThe Heavenly Spheres 5 SOULLiving NatureVital HeatThe Vehicle of the SoulThe Spirit which is God’sDiffusion and SuffusionPlurality and UnityThe Human DistinctionThe Science of the Soul 6 THREE DUTIESFinitude and TranscendenceTwo WorldsOught from IsThree LivesThe Conservation PrincipleKinship with the HeavensLeaving the World Behind 7 GODUnveiling the MysteriesFrom Asceticism to MysticismTasting the TruthTheological PreceptsLike Knowing LikeAnnihilation and RestorationFaces and NamesThe “Eastern Wisdom”Sensation and IntellectionArrival 8 RELIGIONReligion and SocietyAsal and SalamanLanguage and RealityModeling PerfectionRe-entering the CaveHuman WeaknessMorality and ScriptureMortality and Revelation 9 AFTERLIFEArabic MarginsHebrew EchoesEarly Modern SuccessThe “Robinson” QuestionOrientalist IdeasBack to Ibn Tufayl BibliographyIndex

‘Taneli Kukkonen’s study is not only a superb introduction to Ibn Tufayl and his work, but it also provides a succinct overview of Islamic philosophical thought at large…his exposition [is] admirably lucid and, indeed, entertaining.’