Philosophy

The Improvement of Human Reason

by Ibn Tufayl

Ibn Tufayl, a physician at the Almohad court in the twelfth century, wrote this philosophical tale of a boy raised by a gazelle on an island, who reasons his way alone to the knowledge of God. Simon Ockley’s English translation of 1708 was widely read, and some think Defoe knew it before he wrote Robinson Crusoe. Its Arabic title, Hayy ibn Yaqzan, means Alive, son of Awake.

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Reading time

About 3 hr 5 min

Where to find it

On the Philosophy shelves

Edition

Project Gutenberg, eBook #16831. In the public domain in the United States.