An Arab Philosophy Of History: Selections From The Prolegomena Of Ibn Khaldun Of Tunis (1332-1406)
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
Few thinkers of the medieval world cast as long an intellectual shadow as Ibn Khaldun of Tunis (1332–1406), whose monumental Muqaddimah — or Prolegomena — stands as one of the most astonishing works of historical and sociological thought ever conceived. An Arab Philosophy of History presents a masterfully curated selection of this landmark text, translated and arranged by the distinguished scholar Charles Issawi, offering Western readers direct access to Ibn Khaldun's groundbreaking theories on the rise and fall of civilisations, the nature of group solidarity (asabiyyah), economics, and the cyclical patterns that govern human societies. With precision and clarity, Issawi renders the 14th-century Arabic into lucid, accessible prose, ensuring that none of the original's analytical power is lost in translation. Ibn Khaldun's genius lay in his insistence on treating history not as a mere chronicle of events, but as a rigorous science subject to observable laws — a vision that anticipates the disciplines of sociology, economics, and anthropology by centuries. Issawi's scholarly apparatus situates this extraordinary mind within the broader currents of Islamic intellectual tradition while illuminating his continuing relevance to modern thought. For anyone curious about the deep roots of social science and the enduring wisdom of the Arab world, this volume poses a question that lingers long after the final page: what might our own civilisation look like through the unsparing lens of Ibn Khaldun?
Author: Charles Issawi
Format: Hardback
Genre: Philosophy
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Markings: Previous owner
Few thinkers of the medieval world cast as long an intellectual shadow as Ibn Khaldun of Tunis (1332–1406), whose monumental Muqaddimah — or Prolegomena — stands as one of the most astonishing works of historical and sociological thought ever conceived. An Arab Philosophy of History presents a masterfully curated selection of this landmark text, translated and arranged by the distinguished scholar Charles Issawi, offering Western readers direct access to Ibn Khaldun's groundbreaking theories on the rise and fall of civilisations, the nature of group solidarity (asabiyyah), economics, and the cyclical patterns that govern human societies. With precision and clarity, Issawi renders the 14th-century Arabic into lucid, accessible prose, ensuring that none of the original's analytical power is lost in translation. Ibn Khaldun's genius lay in his insistence on treating history not as a mere chronicle of events, but as a rigorous science subject to observable laws — a vision that anticipates the disciplines of sociology, economics, and anthropology by centuries. Issawi's scholarly apparatus situates this extraordinary mind within the broader currents of Islamic intellectual tradition while illuminating his continuing relevance to modern thought. For anyone curious about the deep roots of social science and the enduring wisdom of the Arab world, this volume poses a question that lingers long after the final page: what might our own civilisation look like through the unsparing lens of Ibn Khaldun?