Manifestations of Interdisciplinarity in Ibn Tufayl al-Andalusi’s Hayy ibn Yaqzan (d. 581 AH)

Abstract

The story of "Hayy ibn Yaqzan" by Ibn Tufayl al-Andalusi is one of the greatest timeless works in human heritage in general and Islamic heritage in particular. Interdisciplinarity is clearly manifested within its narrative structure. Ibn Tufayl demonstrates features of human cognitive thought by highlighting the generic intersection between philosophy and literature and revealing the cognitive interconnections among different modes of human thinking.

Accordingly, this study sheds light on narrative art in the Islamic heritage by examining the relationship between storytelling and philosophy. It investigates how the philosopher adopted the narrative form as a means of communication through which he conveyed his epistemological theories and philosophical ideas. It also examines how storytelling opened itself to epistemological theories and assimilated them both artistically and intellectually. All this is explored through an analysis of interdisciplinarity and its manifestations in Ibn Tufayl's story "Hayy ibn Yaqzan."