Overview
Ibn Ṭufayl (c. 1105–1185) was an Andalusian physician and vizier best known for the philosophical romance Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān. The orphan Hayy, raised by a gazelle on an island, climbs by observation and reason to knowledge of the Necessary Existent, then meets a religious islander and learns the limits of teaching the many.
Main ideas
Unaided reason can reach metaphysical truth; revelation encodes the same substance in symbols for those who cannot demonstrate. Sudden stripping of outer forms harms most believers. Solitude and withdrawal from the senses serve contemplation, yet political pedagogy must respect human diversity of capacity.
Major works
- Ḥayy ibn Yaqẓān
Legacy
Translated into Latin and early modern European languages, Hayy influenced debates on natural religion and education. Goodman’s English version remains a standard classroom text for Islamic philosophy.