Models of Desire in Graeco-Arabic Philosophy

Bethany Somma, Ph.D (2018), is a postdoc at the LMU Munich. Their research focuses on psychology, ethics, and animals in ancient Greek philosophy and philosophy of the Islamic world.

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations



Introduction: Desire and Its Models

 1 Methodology

 2 The Two Models and the Human Goal

 3 Structure and Scope



1 An Inherent Model of Desire: Plotinus on Desire for the Good

 1 Terminology of Desire

 2 Desire in the General Structure of Reality

 3 Desire in Intellect

 4 Desire in Soul

 5 Desire in Judgments and Action

 6 What Does It Mean to Desire the Good?

 7 Being Good-Like

 8 Becoming like the Good

 9 Formless Desire



2 The Plotiniana Arabica and Desire’s Discontents

 1 Desire in Intellect

 2 Soul’s Desire of Intellect

 3 Soul and Body’s Desire

 4 Assimilation and the Ethical Implications of Soul’s Procession

 5 Virtue and the Return

 6 Avicenna on the Theology of Aristotle



3 Aristotle and al-Fārābī on Desire

 1 Aristotle on Desire

 2 Al-Fārābī on Desire

 3 Al-Fārābī on Aristotle on Desire

 4 Models of Desire in Aristotle and al-Fārābī



4 Ibn Bāǧǧa on Desire and Conceptualization

 1 Desire in the Soul

 2 Desire in the Human Being

 3 Striving Soul and the Body

 4 Ibn Bāǧǧa on al-Ġazalī and the Sufis

 5 Human Excellence and Desire



5 Ibn Ṭufayl: Situating Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān

 1 The Purpose and Methodology of the Text

 2 Ibn Ṭufayl on His Influences

 3 Origins and Orientation



6 The Desire Inherent to Ibn Ṭufayl’s Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān

 1 Ḥayy’s Desire

 2 Ibn Ṭufayl’s Interpretation of Avicenna and al-Ġazālī on Desire

 3 Appetite and Dissection

 4 Holistic Goal of Ḥayy’s Education

 5 Subject of Education, Subject of Desire



Conclusion: Modelling the Study

 1 Drawing the Boundaries of the Book

 2 Ibn Bāǧǧa and Ibn Ṭufayl: Modelling Good Desire



Bibliography

Index