I have to be honest here. The subject at hand, which is Middle Eastern philosophy, was something entirely foreign to me prior to starting this course. And to continue this rampage of honesty, I did not have an interest in familiarizing myself with the subject. However, I am happy to have noticed a shift in my attitude, and come to recognize the historical significance the East has had in the realm of not only philosophy, but also science.

The Arabic and Islamic philosophies in the medieval times (400s AD- 1500s AD) were thriving with their pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, even in unconventional places like pagan Greek thinkers as Socrates. The fact that startled me was that Socrates was the archetype of a philosopher for these Middle Eastern thinkers, and the whole Western philosophical tradition influenced whatever was to bud out of the Arabic endeavors for knowledge. This goes to show how intertwined different cultures have been throughout history, and that there has been a long interplay of refining ideas. There is merely an illusion of secludedness and separation.

After the closing of the renowned Academy, a new philosophical tradition arose in the Middle East called Arabic rationalism. Reason was regarded as the supreme tool of intellection, and could be used as a weapon to defeat your enemies. This is one of the reasons why there was an in depth study of Aristotelean logic at play. These new philosophers regarded themselves as the rightful inheritors of the Western tradition. An ambitious translation movement got its start, and translated educational pieces through all disciplines and languages into Arabic amongst others. This also led to the production of encyclopedias, which played the important part of making knowledge accessible for ’simpler minds’, or as one might say, for the common folks. Wisdom and learning were not aimed for a small elite anymore. Philosophy started resembling a scientific program that trained future leaders in philosophy for them to be capable thinkers and rulers. These programs, however, were very elitist and exclusive. Scientific advances were made across all fields, especially in mathematics and a more systematic approach to philosophy (à la Al-Kindi).

The point of this introduction was to show that the thinkers of the medieval times were much more tolerant than we make them out to be. The thirst and search for wisdom were larger than the pride that would, if not swallowed, have prohibited them from acquiring a bit of knowledge or two from foreign cultures. Our professor put this into a very pleasant wording: ”Truth is something that enables us”. I am looking forward to further ventures into the realm of Middle Eastern philosophy, and getting to further uncover how what we know today traces back in the most fascinating ways.