Ibn Tufail (* 1110 in Wadi Asch (Guadix) with Granada; "† 1185 in Marrakesch), with full name Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Abd aluminium-Malik Muhammad Ibn Tufail aluminium-Qaisi, latinisiert Abdubacer, were an important Arab-Andalusian philosopher, astronomer, a physician, a mathematician and a Sufi (Islamic Mystiker). He is an author of a philosophical island novel ("“Robinsonade"”).

Life

From the life of this scholar only few are well-known. It originated from Guadix and is to have established itself after the study of medicine, mathematics and astronomy as a physician in Granada, before it was appointed later by that Almohadenherr Abu Yaqub Yusuf Ith (1163-1184) after Marrakesch destined and the body physician and Wesir. There he became acquainted with also Ibn Ruschd/Averroes, which he presented to the Sultan. Ibn Ruschd/Averroes was interested in the philosophy of the Aristoteles, since political conditions were however difficult at that time, trusted already at that time it in the discussion toward end its interest in Aristoteles to only state itself. Ibn Tufail died 1185 in the residence in Marrakesch.

- Together with a medical training poem - the only received work of it is that treatise of '' Hayy ibn Yaqzan '' ("„the alive one, son of the being awake "“), which belongs to the most important works of Arab philosophy and literature. One can call the work development novel, it is to have been also collecting main for Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe. In the novel are around a child, that of a Gazelle drawn up and only by nature and animals surrounded on a lonely island grows up and up to 50. Lebensjahr the realization of the all power of God attains.

The living person, son of the being awake

The development novel acts of humans (named Haiy ibn ), who grow up from childhood alone on a tropical island and are nourished by the animals. A great many educational and psychological aspects are described, more, than one would expect from a philosophical work. With of the life of the boy happens step by step in stages at seven years each. Young humans develop completely slowly and come finally to the highest realization attainable for humans.

• In the 1. Phase up to its 7. Lebensjahr is drawn up Haiy by a Gazelle and introduced into fundamental feelings and feelings such as affection and solidarity and survival techniques such as food search and self-defense. It is the time of childlike discovering.
• In the 2. Phase up to its 21. Lebensjahr discovers he some techniques relating to crafts, so for instance the building of a cave and handling the fire. With the death of the Gazelle he learns in addition that organisms not only of a body, but also also of a spirit to consist. As the Gazelle, its nut/mother, dies dissects he her over to find out, where the life is gone and the heart finds, where it the life, a "“breath"” (also: Pneuma) assumes, which now however away is.
• In the 3. Phase up to its 28. Lebensjahr concerns itself it completely with the questions of the logic and physics. He discovers causality and assumes that everything must have a "“Urgrund"”. It begins, individuals of kinds of differentiating form from subject and effects from causes to. It divides its environment into categories, kinds and races. Due to its insight into a kind "“Urgrund"” or a all-last cause he has already a foundation-stone for the realization of God.
• In the 4. Phase up to 35. Lebensjahr he dedicates himself to the cosmology. It it becomes clear that there must be metaphysical reasons for the movement of the heavenly bodies, the whole world and the life. It looks for all this for laws, in the world regulates and finds every now and then [[laws of nature. It foresees however still more clearly than the fact that everything from somewhere must come and has only the goal, the perfect nature of coming the creator of sky and earth more near.
• In the 5. Phase up to 50. Lebensjahr meditiert it, because it sees that the instrument cannot be sinnliches for the realization of God instrumental or, but God to be similar must. God may not remain recognizing article, therefore the recognizing subject must on one level raise, on the God recognize leaves itself. Necessarily for realization we a fusion of subject and object, which is recognizing, recognizing and realization at the same time. Haiy recognizes also that the life in three stages should be led, in order to reach this realization:

1. Similarity with reasonless animals insight into direct vitally necessarynesses under imposing strict rules, among other things good environmental awareness: Haiy eats hardly meat and only ripe fruit, its cores it again cultivates (realization of the necessity for the harmony with the environment)
2. Adjustment at heavenly bodies as in the sky begins to move Haiy around itself (similarly the dancing the wiping; Imitation of God)
3. Adjustment to the attributes of God by complete dedication to the Meditation thinks Haiy only of God, so that it a vision of the himmlischen world assign becomes (development of a asketisch philosophical, mystischen way of life)

As Haiy 50 years as if approaches on a neighbouring island a Muslim community with it is. It turns out that the inhabitants of the neighbour island agree with Haiy in all substantial points to the questions, which it wanted to always discuss with someone: the existence of God, the condition of the world and determination of humans. Haiy but the truth recognized, while it was announced humans of the neighbour island by a prophet, by instructions and symbols. Ibn Tufail closes with the remark that to the realization several ways are possible, both rather more philosophically (and in the long run with Ibn and rather more religiously (as with Its novel serves also, as in the preface is mentioned, the symbiosis of these two philosophers. Further Ibn Tufail considers it also possible that other religions can likewise arrive at the realization, so for instance Judentum and Christianity and not only the Islam.

Primary literature

• Ibn Abu Bakr: The philosopher as an autodidact. ibn , Hamburg 2004: Felix my publishing house. ISBN 3787316809
• Ibn Tufail: The Ur-Robinson, Matthes & Seitz 1987.

Secondary literature

• Stephan and Nandy Ronart: Encyclopedia of the Arab world. Artemis publishing house 1972.
• Ulrich Rudolph: Islamic philosophy. From the beginnings to the present. Munich 2004: Publishing house C.H. Beck. P. 65-69. ISBN 340650852
• T.J. DeBoer: History of philosophy in the Islam. Stuttgart 1901: Fr. Frommanns publishing house. P. 160-164.

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