This dissertation investigates the role of desire in Ibn Ṭufayl’s Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān through a philosophical investigation of desire from Plotinus to Ibn Ṭufayl. I examine Plotinus’s account of desire for the Good, and I argue that this desire forms the basis of his account of substance, such that this desire is non-rational, permanent, fundamental to all hypostases. I also examine the Arabic translations of Plotinus’s text, arguing that the role of desire for God is severely diminished. Indeed, the desire for God we find in these texts is rational and non-permanent – a modified version of the Plotinian model. As I consider Ibn Bāǧǧa’s corpus, I argue that on his account desire is decidedly rational and non-permanent. However, he uses a model I term the power-among-powers model, which he inherits and develops from al-Fārābī and the translations of Aristotle. These previous examinations form the backdrop for my main concern: my argument that desire is fundamental to Ibn Ṭufayl’s Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān. I contend that Ibn Ṭufayl intends to intervene politically by inciting desire for the path toward Truth in his readers. I then argue that his account of desire is a blend of Avicenna’s and al-Ġazālī’s accounts, a combination of the Plotinian and power-among-powers models. On this account, desire for God is non-rational and permanent. Finally, I conclude that Ibn Ṭufayl presents a model for political intervention that places desires at the center of philosophical education and practice and that includes all members of society and the natural world.
","abstract_html":"<p>This dissertation investigates the role of desire in Ibn Ṭufayl’s <em>Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān</em> through a philosophical investigation of desire from Plotinus to Ibn Ṭufayl. I examine Plotinus’s account of desire for the Good, and I argue that this desire forms the basis of his account of substance, such that this desire is non-rational, permanent, fundamental to all hypostases. I also examine the Arabic translations of Plotinus’s text, arguing that the role of desire for God is severely diminished. Indeed, the desire for God we find in these texts is rational and non-permanent – a modified version of the Plotinian model. As I consider Ibn Bāǧǧa’s corpus, I argue that on his account desire is decidedly rational and non-permanent. However, he uses a model I term the power-among-powers model, which he inherits and develops from al-Fārābī and the translations of Aristotle. These previous examinations form the backdrop for my main concern: my argument that desire is fundamental to Ibn Ṭufayl’s <em>Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān</em>. I contend that Ibn Ṭufayl intends to intervene politically by inciting desire for the path toward Truth in his readers. I then argue that his account of desire is a blend of Avicenna’s and al-Ġazālī’s accounts, a combination of the Plotinian and power-among-powers models. On this account, desire for God is non-rational and permanent. Finally, I conclude that Ibn Ṭufayl presents a model for political intervention that places desires at the center of philosophical education and practice and that includes all members of society and the natural world.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Somma, Bethany"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"PhD","degree_level":"One-year Embargo","degree_discipline":"Philosophy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Michael Harrington","Peter Adamson","Thérèse Bonin","Christof Rapp"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2018,"date_issued":"2018-08-11T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2018-08-11T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:10:43Z","subjects":["Islamic Philosophy","Arabic Philosophy","Ibn Ṭufayl","Neoplatonism","desire","Graeco-Arabic Translation","History of Philosophy"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1468","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Michael Harrington","Peter Adamson","Thérèse Bonin","Christof Rapp"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Somma, Bethany"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2022-02-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["One-year Embargo"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["PhD"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Islamic Philosophy","Arabic Philosophy","Ibn Ṭufayl","Neoplatonism","desire","Graeco-Arabic Translation","History of Philosophy"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1468"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This dissertation investigates the role of desire in Ibn Ṭufayl’s Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān through a philosophical investigation of desire from Plotinus to Ibn Ṭufayl. I examine Plotinus’s account of desire for the Good, and I argue that this desire forms the basis of his account of substance, such that this desire is non-rational, permanent, fundamental to all hypostases. I also examine the Arabic translations of Plotinus’s text, arguing that the role of desire for God is severely diminished. Indeed, the desire for God we find in these texts is rational and non-permanent – a modified version of the Plotinian model. As I consider Ibn Bāǧǧa’s corpus, I argue that on his account desire is decidedly rational and non-permanent. However, he uses a model I term the power-among-powers model, which he inherits and develops from al-Fārābī and the translations of Aristotle. These previous examinations form the backdrop for my main concern: my argument that desire is fundamental to Ibn Ṭufayl’s Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān. I contend that Ibn Ṭufayl intends to intervene politically by inciting desire for the path toward Truth in his readers. I then argue that his account of desire is a blend of Avicenna’s and al-Ġazālī’s accounts, a combination of the Plotinian and power-among-powers models. On this account, desire for God is non-rational and permanent. Finally, I conclude that Ibn Ṭufayl presents a model for political intervention that places desires at the center of philosophical education and practice and that includes all members of society and the natural world.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Philosophical Heritage of Desire for God in Ibn Ṭufayl’s Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Michael Harrington","Peter Adamson","Thérèse Bonin","Christof Rapp"],"dc:creator":["Somma, Bethany"],"dc:date.available":["2022-02-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This dissertation investigates the role of desire in Ibn Ṭufayl’s Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān through a philosophical investigation of desire from Plotinus to Ibn Ṭufayl. I examine Plotinus’s account of desire for the Good, and I argue that this desire forms the basis of his account of substance, such that this desire is non-rational, permanent, fundamental to all hypostases. I also examine the Arabic translations of Plotinus’s text, arguing that the role of desire for God is severely diminished. Indeed, the desire for God we find in these texts is rational and non-permanent – a modified version of the Plotinian model. As I consider Ibn Bāǧǧa’s corpus, I argue that on his account desire is decidedly rational and non-permanent. However, he uses a model I term the power-among-powers model, which he inherits and develops from al-Fārābī and the translations of Aristotle. These previous examinations form the backdrop for my main concern: my argument that desire is fundamental to Ibn Ṭufayl’s Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān. I contend that Ibn Ṭufayl intends to intervene politically by inciting desire for the path toward Truth in his readers. I then argue that his account of desire is a blend of Avicenna’s and al-Ġazālī’s accounts, a combination of the Plotinian and power-among-powers models. On this account, desire for God is non-rational and permanent. Finally, I conclude that Ibn Ṭufayl presents a model for political intervention that places desires at the center of philosophical education and practice and that includes all members of society and the natural world.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1468"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:subject":["Islamic Philosophy","Arabic Philosophy","Ibn Ṭufayl","Neoplatonism","desire","Graeco-Arabic Translation","History of Philosophy"],"dc:title":["The Philosophical Heritage of Desire for God in Ibn Ṭufayl’s Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Philosophy"],"thesis:degree_level":["One-year Embargo"],"thesis:degree_name":["PhD"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:10:43Z"}