Improvement of Human Reason

 I definitely think that it is option 2, “the improvement of human reasoning over the course of evolution”. I think this because there is likely a translation error, where improvement means development. Though I cannot assume that, it seems much more likely than the alternative, “the improvement is given by the book itself to its readers”. In what way does the improvement impact the reader? The religious obsessions and notions are archaic, and do not apply to modern society. It is possible option number one once applied, but it is no longer the case. In the past, it is possible that, in an educated male sense, people were encouraged to alter their learning habits in order to open their minds, but now we see that Hayy was just obsessed with being invited into heaven. So in reality, everything he did was from a selfish standpoint. What time of advice does that impart onto readers? Number two seems more applicable, because that is essentially the story, a comparative look at the improvement of human reasoning over the course of evolution in two different paths. The two paths are 1) growing up completely isolated from mankind, where you learn how to perceive the world on your own (which would not be sustainable because of reproduction), and 2) growing up surrounded by people who teach you what to think and how to act, which in turn creates a functioning society. In conclusion, I think that option number 2 is the correct and accurate one.

Comments

  1. Bailey BlackNovember 8, 2021 at 10:31 PM

    I really like the translation error theory. I hadn't consider that but it seems totally plausible and would clarify the meaning of the title a lot. I would also agree that I find the moral of this story pretty archaic, although I suppose you can't expect anything else from a book written almost a millennium ago.

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  2. Michelle BNovember 13, 2021 at 1:33 PM

    The original title--Hayy Ibn Yaqzan--is simply the protagonist's name. So the translation is really not a translation. It's a totally new title added by a later editor. How does that change things from your perspective?

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