On why some people willingly become the butt of other people’s jokes

Kapitel in diesem Buch

1. Frontmatter i
2. Letter from the General Editor iii
3. Table of Contents vii
4. Map: Buyid and Neighbouring Lands xii
5. On the influence of companions on a person’s character and on the benefits of companionship 2
6. On why people scorn certain forms of ostentatious demeanor and why individuals aren’t simply allowed to do as they please 4
7. On what the soul seeks in this world and on the nature of human beings 6
8. On the nature and attributes of God 10
9. On why people experience fear in the absence of an apparent cause 10
10. On why people fly into a rage when they can’t open a lock 12
11. On why people with small heads have light brains 14
12. On certain beliefs concerning the relation between a person’s facial hair and his character 16
13. On why people racked by suffering find it easy to face death 18
14. On why people denigrate things they fail to attain and are hostile to things of which they are ignorant 20
15. On why it is easier to make enemies than friends 22
16. On why atheists act morally 24
17. On why some people willingly become the butt of other people’s jokes 26
18. On why people love to occupy positions of eminence 28
19. On why we honor people for the achievements of their ancestors but not those of their progeny 32
20. On why the progeny of illustrious people evince an elevated sense of entitlement and self-importance 32
21. On whether it would be more consistent with the true order of things if all people were honored equally 36
22. On different forms of divination 38
23. On why some people dislike being addressed as “old man” while others relish it 42
24. On why people take comfort from knowing they are not alone in their misfortune 44
25. On the virtues of different nations, such as the Arabs, Byzantines, Persians, and Indians 48
26. On why intelligent people are more susceptible to grief 50
27. On why intrinsic merit and worldly fortune do not coincide 54
28. On the meaning of coincidence 64
29. On the nature of compulsion and choice 66
30. On the reason for the wanderlust experienced by certain people 74
31. On why people desire knowledge, and on the benefits of knowledge 78
32. On why people and other animals respond so powerfully to certain kinds of sounds and musical effects 82
33. On why older people are more liable to hope; on the meaning of “hope” and related terms 86
34. On why women are more jealous than men; on the nature and moral status of jealousy 88
35. On why more people die young than die old 92
36. On why people seek likenesses 96
37. On why we find it easier to represent extreme ugliness in our imagination than exquisite beauty 98
38. On why sudden joy affects people so violently 102
39. On why we experience states of suffering more intensely than states of well-being 104
40. On why seeing someone laughing causes others to laugh 106
41. On why human beings are so attached to the world despite the misfortunes and suffering they experience in it 108
42. On why people say the world would fall to ruin if it weren’t for fools 110
43. On the anxiety experienced by people who have something to hide 116
44. On why we are more likely to heed a preacher who practices what he preaches 116
45. On why Arabs and non-Arabs declare their pedigrees in times of war 120
46. On why people distinguish between different kinds of air, water, and earth, but not different kinds of fire 122
47. On why people feel happier when they unexpectedly obtain something they weren’t seeking than when they obtain what they were seeking 126
48. On why fine edifices fall to ruin when left uninhabited 128
49. On why men of sublime character beget knaves 130
50. On why our longing for home grows more intense the nearer we come to it 130
51. On the meaning of the dictum that judgement sleeps while passion keeps watch 134
52. On a remark concerning logic made by the dialectical theologian Abū Hāshim to the philosopher Abū Bishr Mattā 136
53. On why some Arabic words are feminine and others masculine 138
54. On whether a human being could know everything 140
55. On why new incumbents are harsh toward the officials they replace 142
56. On why human beings are considered to be orphans after losing their father rather than their mother 144
57. On why chess is so hard to master 146
58. On why people dislike changing their name or patronymic, and why they have a sense of aversion toward certain names and titles 148
59. On the mannerisms of people whose mind is preoccupied, and on why people have so many different ways of behaving when they feel anxious or unhappy 150
60. On different ways of approaching God’s attributes 154
61. On why we find it easier to remember what is correct than what is defective 158
62. On why prosodists tend to produce flat poetry 160
63. On the meaning of the dictum that the learned live longer than the ignorant 164
64. On why it is harder to speak eloquently than to write eloquently 166
65. On the significance of the fact that human beings are the only animals to stand upright 168
66. On why certainty is less enduring than doubt 170
67. On why we laugh harder when a person keeps a straight face 172
68. On the meaning of the scholars’ proposition that a rare instance attracts no ruling 172
69. On the possibility of certain kinds of coincidences obtaining 176
70. On the role of analogical reasoning in the linguistic sciences 178
71. On whether God created the world for a cause 180
72. On why a life of comfort makes people feel oppressed and leads them to behave wantonly 182
73. On why some things are best when they’re new and others are best when old 184
74. On why people who display great piety are prone to arrogance 186
75. On why a warm manner is more pleasing than a cold benefaction 188
76. On why those closest to a king are less inclined to prattle about his person than those at the farthest remove from him 192
77. On Ibn Sālim al-Baṣrī’s claim that God perceived the world while it was nonexistent 194
78. On why the poets love to dwell on the apparitions that come to them in their sleep 196
79. On why people are reluctant to advertise their merits 198
80. On the relative merits of verse as against prose 200
81. On why people feel oppressed when things are prohibited to them 202
82. On why preachers are affected by stage fright when addressing large audiences 204
83. On the anxiety that affects onlookers when they see preachers affected by stage fright 206
84. On why we hate hearing the same thing twice 208
85. On whether the religious Law can conflict with human reason 210
86. On a remark made by Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb concerning the possibility of uttering something that is completely false versus something completely true 218
87. On why excellent souls find repose in the truth and find falsehood repugnant 220
88. On a question put by Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb concerning why animals are generated inside plants but plants are not generated inside animals 222
89. On the nature of alchemy and why people are so enamoured of it 224
90. On a question put by Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb concerning the difference between the words “indeterminable” and “impenetrable” 230
91. On the disagreements between jurists 230
92. On why people despise kings who are governed by pleasure and fear kings governed by reason 238
93. On the physical reactions people exhibit when listening to music 240
94. On why liars often tell the truth but not the reverse, and on whether habits can change 244
95. On certain popular sayings 246
96. On the distinction between different forms of divination 248
97. On why there are four categories for inquiry: whether, what, which, and why 250
98. On the nonexistent 254
99. On why a physician rejoices at the recovery of his patient 256
100. On why money is made of silver and gold and not other substances 258
101. On the specific time when the soul attaches itself to the body 264
102. On whether souls can recollect what they used to know after leaving the body 268
103. On why mountains exist 270
104. On why there are three souls 274
105. On why the sea is located on a particular side of the earth 276
106. On why seawater is salty 278
107. On how we can see things in our sleep without an organ of sense perception 278
108. On a puzzle concerning the possibility of seeking something we do not know 280
109. On why it does not snow in the summer 282
110. On the proof for the existence of angels 284
111. On what justifies the suffering of children and non-rational animals 286
112. On why it takes us longer to hear thunder than to see lightning 288
113. On the possibility that a person may abandon every belief he adopts ad infinitum 290
114. Notes 295
115. Glossary 299
116. Bibliography 304
117. Further Reading 308
118. Index 309
119. About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute 318
120. About the Typefaces 319
121. Titles Published by the Library of Arabic Literature 320
122. About the Editor–Translators 324