Overview

"This book deals with Ibn Khaldun's ilm al-umran (science of social organization) which seems to generate different and conflicting views. To investigate the reason(s) behind such wide disagreements, this study examined some 300 written works that dealt briefly or extensively with Ibn Khaldun's ideas. The study found that many of these sources asserted that Ibn Khaldun's ilm al-umran enabled him to become the forerunner of one or more of the social sciences. However little has been mentioned about the nature of this science. Thus, the purpose of this study is to present the different views as to why and how the Arab-Muslim Ibn Khaldun is given the credit of being the ""first"", ""the father"", and ""the one"" who laid down the foundation of social sciences. This study concludes that the prime reason for this unsettled issue is the different interpretations of the subject matter of al-umran. To enhance our conclusion, Ibn Khaldun's major ideas are presented in some detail. Moreover, for the first time, this study applies the rigorous criteria of modern science to Ibn Khaldun's ilm (science). This leads us to the next step, examination and verification of the claims that Ibn Khaldun's main ideas anticipated some modern social thought. This study emphasizes the fact that Ibn Khaldun belongs to the fourteenth century; and, hence, some of his generalizations are not applicable today. However, this should not prevent one from selecting those segments of his work that currently appear relevant and that can be compared with ""modern"" thought. In this case, neither are Ibn Khaldun's ideas exaggerated nor are modern writings belittled."

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Reviews

This work is original and engaging. The author provides a comprehensive and integrated discussion of Ibn Khaldun's contributions to the social sciences. The author's review of the research and literature is exhaustive, and his arguments are well grounded and compelling. The author is obviously a leading scholar on the subject of Ibn Khaldun. The author has gone far beyond the existing books in the field by placing Ibn Khaldun in the proper context as a major figure in the social sciences. Too many modern scholars have ignored, or glossed over Ibn Khaldun's contributions to the social sciences. This work is a positive step toward raising awareness regarding Ibn Khaldun's contributions in multiple disciplines. This outstanding book will be useful for all those interested in the social sciences, particularly anyone interested in the historical roots if science and the study of human societies. I would highly recommend this work to my students. - Dr. Thomas E. Shriver, Oklahoma State University Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) was a remarkably insightful thinker, and Fuad G. Baali, an internationally known sociologist and pre-eminent Ibn Khaldun authority, captures his seminal contributions to the social sciences in what will surely be a benchmark book on the subject. Professor Baali's study examines Ibn Khaldun's ilm al-umrun (science of human social organization) in a novel and especially constructive way: For the first time, the major characteristics of modern science are applied to Ibn Khaldun's ilm (science) to determine, once and for all, whether he truly pioneered one or more of the social and behaviour sciences by having formulated a number of key concepts and generalizations that anticipate and sometimes even parallel those commonly believed to have sprung from modern social thought. - (from the Commendatory Preface) Robert G. Perrin, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of Tennessee

Author Information

Dr. Fuad G. Baali, a naturalized American, was born in Baghdad, Iraq. He holds a B.A. degree in philosophy from the University of Baghdad (1953), a M.A. degree in sociology and anthropology from the University of Kansas (1957), and a Ph.D. degree in sociology from Louisiana State University (1960). He has taught at the Middle Tennessee State University, University of Baghdad, University of Florida, American University of Beirut, and Kuwait University. Currently he is Professor Emeritus at Western Kentucky University. The author has published several books, some of which were printed by the University of Florida Press, Rand McNally, Appleton-Century-Crofts, Prentice Hall, G. K. Hall, State University of New York Press, and University Press of America.

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