Western thought owes many key concepts to classical Arab thought, particularly that developed by Arab philosophers and their humanist tendencies regarding psychology, aesthetic perception, and artistic creativity.
Drawing from the "Oration on the Dignity of Man" written in Latin by the Italian thinker Pico della Mirandola in 1486, which is considered a foundational text for the European Renaissance and modern humanism, Dr. Miguel Puerta Vílchez will focus on the views of Arab-Muslim authors in Pico’s discourse as essential sources of humanist thought, as well as those not mentioned in Pico’s discourse. These include the Brethren of Purity, Ibn al- Haytham, and some Arab mystics, who contributed to elevating Arab and Islamic humanism to the pinnacle of humanist thought by clearly theorising the centrality of humans in creation and their harmony with it, along with the values of brotherhood and love among peoples as they are all ‘one tribe’.
This lecture is organised by the New Ground Research Institute as part of an ongoing initiative that seeks to understand the history of Islam in Europe, and in combating Islamophobia.
Speaker: Dr. José Miguel Puerta Vílchez (University of Granada)
