(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah on Monday hosted a lecture on the contributions of renowned Muslim philosopher, Ibn Tufayl, to European thought, as part of the French embassy's celebration of a Golden Jubilee of relations with Kuwait.
The lecture, which was presented by Professor of Arabic studies and philosophy at the Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, Makram Abbes, discussed the Arab Andalusian Muslim philosopher, also known as Abubacer, and his novel "Hay Ibn Yaqdhan" (which translates as Alive, son of Awake).
The first Arabic novel ever written, completed in the 12th century, is about a child who is raised by animals on a desert island in isolation from human contact.
Throughout his life he is set on a journey of independence and self-education on the tools and skills necessary for survival.
Later, the passing of his mother, a gazelle, leads him on a scientific journey aimed at discovering the reasons behind her death.
As the story goes on, he comes into contact with the first human being - a traveler - through which he also determines that material possessions are merely distractions from the tools necessary for a decent life.
The work was later translated to many European languages throughout both the 17th and 18th centuries and had a great impact on European philosophers, novelists and thinkers alike.
It influenced such great works like Robinson Crusoe by English writer Daniel Defoe and the later novel, Tarzan of the Apes by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, to name a few.
"These novels had roughly the same concept in that they involved a feral child raised on an isolated island without a mentor, followed by the arrival of a person who will later teach him (the skills of life) like Friday in Robinson Crusoe, for instance," Dr. Makram Abbes told KUNA.
"It was built upon the notion that the mind is the only salvation from struggles, and that the human brain innately has the ability to help people reach the highest grades of knowledge," he added.
Abbes also mentioned that the work was greatly appreciated by 18th century philosophers like Locke, Leibniz, Rousseau and Voltaire, describing it as a great Muslim contribution to schools of thought in modern-day Europe.
The event was attended by the French Embassy's Counselor for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs Francois Brossard, along with a number of culture enthusiasts and academics.
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