Ibn Khaldun

1332-1406 · Tunisian (Andalusian descent; served in courts across the Maghreb, al-Andalus, and Mamluk Egypt) · Philosophy of history, social theory, historiography, political philosophy, economic thought, Islamic philosophy

Dynasties have a natural life-span like individuals.

Born in Tunis in 1332 to a family driven east by the Reconquista, Ibn Khaldun navigated the courts of North Africa and al-Andalus — Hafsids, Merinids, Nasrids — surviving imprisonment, until he retired to an Algerian castle and wrote the work that would outlast every prince he had served. In 1401, chief judge of Cairo, he descended from the walls of besieged Damascus to meet Timur. Few lives illustrate a doctrine so perfectly.

Topics Ibn Khaldun addresses

• 'asabiyya (group feeling, social solidarity)
• the science of civilization ('ilm al-'umran)
• the dynastic cycle
• badawa and hadara (nomadic vs settled life)
• mulk (royal authority)
• the natural lifespan of dynasties
• luxury and dynastic decline
• labor as the source of value
• the division of labor
• taxation and revenue
• the caliphate (khilafa)
• the three-generation pattern
• Bedouin society and tribal solidarity
• urban civilization and the city
• the crafts and ways of earning a livelihood
• prophecy and dreams
• Sufi mysticism
• the occult sciences
• the rejection of alchemy
• secondary causation
• the refutation of philosophical metaphysics
• the science of letters ('ilm al-huruf)
• historiography and the critique of historians
• the Berber tribes of the Maghreb

Questions to put to Ibn Khaldun

The Science of 'Umran and the New Method

• What do you mean by the science of 'umran?
• How is your method different from the chroniclers who came before you?
• What's the difference between zahir and batin in historical reports?
• Why do you say penetrating research has shown the way to this new science?
• How do you test whether a historical report is plausible or not?

'Asabiyya and the Dynastic Cycle

• What is 'asabiyya and why does it matter for political power?
• How does the three-generation pattern actually work in dynasties?
• Why can't a dynasty maintain its 'asabiyya indefinitely?
• What happens when a dynasty tries to rule without group feeling?
• How did you observe this pattern in the Almoravids and Almohads?
• Does the dynastic cycle apply outside the Maghreb and al-Andalus?

Bedouin Life and Settled Civilization

• What's the difference between badawa and hadara?
• Why does desert life produce stronger group solidarity?
• What do sedentary peoples gain that nomads lack?
• How does luxury weaken a dynasty's ability to defend itself?
• Are you saying nomadic life is morally superior to urban civilization?
• What role do the Berber tribes play in your account of North African history?

Livelihood, Labor, and the Economic Foundations

• How is human labor the source of value and profit?
• Why is the division of labor necessary for civilization?
• Can you explain your argument about taxation rates and revenue?
• What role does luxury play in the decline of dynasties?
• How do the crafts and trades sustain urban life?

Prophecy, Sufism, and the Occult Sciences

• How do you understand prophecy as a natural human capacity?
• What's your view on dreams as a source of knowledge?
• Why do you reject the alchemists' claims about transmuting metals?
• What is the science of letters and how does it work?
• How does your Sufi practice shape your understanding of human society?
• Are the chapters on magic and divination central to your science or peripheral?

The Caliphate, Kingship, and Political Authority

• What's the difference between the caliphate and ordinary kingship?
• How does mulk differ from the early Islamic political order?
• Why do dynasties need both religious legitimacy and group feeling?
• What did you learn from your years serving the Marinids and Hafsids?
• What happened when you met Timur outside Damascus in 1401?

Converse with Ibn Khaldun on Simposeum. Replies are grounded in Ibn Khaldun's own writing, cited to the page.