Veronica Menaldi, Independent Scholar
This video introduces the power of autodidactic inquiry as a way of gaining understanding of both the universe and ourselves by discussing twelfth-century Andalusi Ibn Tufayl’s Hayy Ibn Yaqzan.
Video
Primary Source (to purchase)
Ibn Tufayl's Hayy Ibn Yaqzan. A Philosophical Tale
Further Reading
After my mom died, I found comfort in a medieval Andalusi tale (A public humanities piece inspired by this text)
Ibn Tufayl on Learning and Spirituality without Prophets and Scriptures (a great historical studies blog post on this text)
Ibn Tufayl and the story of the feral child of philosophy (another public humanities piece)
Podcast
Akbari, Suzanne Conklin and Chris Piuma. The Spouter Inn; or, A conversation with great books. Episode 17: “Hayy ibn Yaqzan.” 1 October 2019. https://megaphonic.fm/spouter/17. Accessed 4 December 2024.
Discussion Questions
What can we learn about humanity and society through the stories of feral children raised by animals who take on parental roles?
What are some ways in which formal instruction and personal exploration can lead to similar conclusions?
Why might it be that meeting grief or knowing death make us curious about connection and possible continuities regardless of when in time we are faced with these realities?
Cite
Menaldi, Veronica. “Exploring Hayy Ibn Yaqzan: Universal Questions and al-Andalus,” Middle Ages for Educators, September 23, 2024. Accessed [date]. https://middleagesforeducators.princeton.edu/exploring-hayy-ibn-yaqzan-universal-questions-and-al-andalus