Absolute Hiddenness in Ibn ‘Arabi’s Mystical School and Withdrawal of Being in Heidegger’s Thought: A Comparison through the Platonic Agathon
Kritike An Online Journal of Philosophy June 1, 2023 DOI: 10.25138/16.3.a10 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 3 |
| Key points | Argues that Heidegger's later thinking on the hiddenness of Being and Ibn 'Arabi's doctrine of the unity of Being share a common ground in Platonic negative theology, and that reading them together through Heidegger's interpretation of Plato's Good beyond Being and the Neoplatonic "One" can open a philosophically relevant dialogue between Islamic mysticism and Heidegger's thought. |
Abstract
This intercultural study attempts to find a bridge between Heidegger's criticism of metaphysics as Ontotheology, his search for overcoming it in his later thinking about the hiddenness of Being itself, and Ibn 'Arabi's mystical doctrine of unity of Being-which is likewise characterized as the absolute hiddenness-through a return to their common ground in Platonic negative theology.Heidegger's interpretation of Plato's allegory of the Sun and the role of the Good beyond Being, and the unsaid correspondence between Heidegger's "Being itself" and the Neoplatonic "One" build the bridge to the analysis of absoluteness as absolute hiddenness in Islamic mysticism.Through this interpretation, the Islamic philosophical tradition could be faced with Heidegger's accusation of Ontotheology, potentially discovering possibilities for a philosophically relevant dialogue with Heidegger's thought.