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Arabic Middle Ages

In: Research Handbook on the History of Political Thought

Author

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  • Mohamad Ghossein

Abstract

The present chapter explores principal ideas animating the political writings of four of the most renowned philosophers from the Arab Middle Ages: al-Fārābī, Avicenna, Averroes, and Ibn Khaldūn. All four thinkers converge on critical ideas pertaining to the foundations of political societies, the qualifications of virtuous rule, the role of religion in political society, and the principal aims of political life. However, their iterations of such ideas are sometimes subtly or even obviously divergent—sometimes so significantly that they are in opposition. This chapter provides a rudimentary sketch to explain some of the reasons for these critical divergences. These brief juxtapositions will hopefully allow readers to identify some of the crucial subtleties that make their political ideas peculiar. In the final analysis, the chapter will briefly reflect on some of the enigmas and challenges posed by some of the contemporary scholarship while reflecting on the prospects of this subfield going forward.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohamad Ghossein, 2024. "Arabic Middle Ages," Chapters, in: Cary J. Nederman & Guillaume Bogiaris (ed.), Research Handbook on the History of Political Thought, chapter 19, pages 210-220, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    • Handle: RePEc:elg:eechap:20103_19
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    File URL: https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781800373808.00029
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