ABSTRACT

Preeminent interpreters of Al-Muqaddima situate Ibn Khaldūn’s thought within ancient philosophy based on philosophical terminology that appears in the text. In this essay, I argue that in the context of ʿilm al-ʿumrān, Ibn Khaldūn does not use the term “matter” in the philosophical-metaphysical sense of natural philosophy, but in an economic sense to mean money. This interpretation is based on Ibn Khaldūn’s philosophy of language, rhetorical style and historical method. Attention to how he uses language to communicate his ideas shows that, throughout Al-Muqaddima, Ibn Khaldūn presents arguments based on religious law and tradition, theology and philosophy. However, in constructing his new science, he uses an intellectual method that is based on worldly and demonstrative factors, one of which is money. Money is one of the two foundations of the polity. This interpretation severs the connection to natural philosophy and challenges the natural-cyclical view of his historical-political thought.

摘要

Al-Muqaddima的杰出诠释者根据文本中出现的哲学术语将伊本赫勒敦的思想置于古代哲学中。在这篇文章中，我认为在ʿilm al-ʿumrān的背景下，伊本·哈勒敦 (Ibn Khaldūn) 并没有在自然哲学的哲学-形而上学意义上使用“物质”一词，而是在经济学意义上使用“物质”一词来表示金钱。这种解释基于伊本赫勒敦的语言哲学、修辞风格和历史方法。关注他如何使用语言来传达他的想法表明，在整个Al-Muqaddima, Ibn Khaldūn 提出了基于宗教法律和传统、神学和哲学的论点。然而，在构建他的新科学时，他使用了一种基于世俗和示范性因素的智力方法，其中之一就是金钱。金钱是政治的两大基础之一。这种解释切断了与自然哲学的联系，挑战了他的历史政治思想的自然循环观。