Intellectual Fulfilment and Political Orientation in Ibn Bājjah and Spinoza
European Legacy, 2026 (AHCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1080/10848770.2026.2714589
- Dergi Adı: European Legacy
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, American History and Life, Historical Abstracts, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Philosopher's Index, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Philosopher's Index full-text, MLA International Bibliography, Political Science Abstract (IPSA), Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Humanities Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: epistemology, Ontology, political philosophy, rationalism
- Kocaeli Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Ibn Bājjah and Spinoza, despite developing remarkably similar accounts of intellectual fulfilment centered on the perfection of reason, arrive at opposed political orientations. Both conceive human fulfilment as an epistemic transformation from passive sensory imagination toward active rational understanding, grounded in the knowledge of causes. Both construct hierarchical epistemologies and locate freedom in the transition from corporeal determination to intellectual self-governance. Yet Ibn Bājjah defends withdrawal (iʿtizāl) from political life when society becomes corrupt, whereas Spinoza does not identify fulfilment with political action as such, but treats civic order as an enabling condition for preserving and exercising rational freedom. This article argues that this divergence cannot be explained epistemologically, but, instead, can be traced to incompatible ontological commitments. Ibn Bājjah’s teleological hylomorphism frames intellectual perfection as purposive activity oriented toward conjunction with an immaterial active intellect—a telos transcending social existence that may require isolation when political conditions obstruct the soul’s ascent. Spinoza’s necessitarian monism situates rational self-realization within the immanent causal order of Deus sive Natura, presenting political community as an immanent civic and institutional framework that can secure the stability, cooperation, and freedom to philosophize required for rational life. Through comparative analysis of Ibn Bājjah’s Tadbīr al-Mutawaḥḥid and Spinoza’s Ethics, the article demonstrates how ontological frameworks mediate the relationship between epistemology and politics, reshaping the practical meaning of reason itself.