Ibn ‘Arabi & Modern Thought: The History of Taking Metaphysics Seriously

In these global times it is a curious and pertinent fact that the life and writings of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi, which since the twelfth century have incalculably influenced the metaphysical structure of much Oriental thought and practice, still remain relatively unknown and undiscussed in the Western theoretical architecture of the twenty-first century. His works constitute one of the most penetrating and extraordinary metaphysical and spiritual teachings the world has ever known, a uniquely universal perspective that cuts across the divides of culture and time. What is perhaps unexpected is not only the modern ring of much of his thought, but also its ability to reconceptualise modernity’s own self-descriptions and understandings, and to bring out hitherto unnoticed features of its landscape. Ibn 'Arabi’s remarks on causality, time, contingency, necessity, epistemology, ontology, ethics and aesthetics alone would entice even the most wary of modernity’s intellectual authorities. This book deals with the findings of just some of these authorities modern philosophy, social science and psychology in an open discourse between the ancient and the modern, the traditional and the scientific, the industrial and the personal. It is an invitation to reconsider some of the central and defining ideas of modernity in the light of Ibn 'Arabi’s writings on the Unity of Existence. The book will be of interest to academics and students in psychology, sociology and philosophy, and to readers with an academic and/or personal interest in Ibn 'Arabi.