On the significance of a popular saying, and the meaning of certain words

Kapitel in diesem Buch

1. Frontmatter i
2. Letter from the General Editor iii
3. Table of Contents vii
4. Acknowledgments x
5. Introduction xi
6. Map: Buyid and Neighboring Lands xxxii
7. Note on the Text xxxiii
8. Notes to the Introduction xxxix
9. The Philosopher Responds, Volume One
10. On the differences between a number of similar words 6
11. On why people commend the keeping of secrets yet still disclose them 22
12. On why certain names are more pleasing than others 30
13. On why people preach renunciation but do not practice it; on reasons, causes, time, and place 36
14. On why people seek worldly goods through knowledge but do not seek knowledge through worldly goods 50
15. On why people long for the past 56
16. On why men of knowledge tend to be conceited 60
17. On why people are sometimes ashamed and sometimes proud of wrongdoing; on the meaning of shame 62
18. On why people claim to have knowledge they lack 66
19. On why it pleases people when others ascribe good qualities to them 68
20. On why it is bad to praise people in their presence and good to praise them in their absence 68
21. On why people want to know what others say about them in their absence 72
22. On why people disapprove of young people who act as if they were older 74
23. On why mean people tend to be mild-tempered and generous people volatile 76
24. On why people need to acquire knowledge but not ignorance 80
25. On why people who provoke admiration also feel wonder at themselves; on the nature of wonder; on describing and knowing God 84
26. On why it is unseemly to eulogize long-time friends and acquaintances 92
27. On why blind people are often endowed with unusual powersstion 94
28. On why people say that nothing good comes from partnership 98
29. On why people use intermediaries despite the problems with partnership 102
30. On why people speak gladly about the needs of those they concern themselves with yet keep quiet about their own needs 104
31. On why some people become famous after they die 106
32. On why men of virtue and reason feel envious toward their equals even though they know envy is blameworthy 108
33. On why we fear death but sometimes welcome it 112
34. On why thin people tend to be noble and fat people ignoble 116
35. On why short people tend to be crafty and tall people foolish 118
36. On why some people overstate and others understate their age 120
37. On why people end up loving particular months or days and why they form different conceptions of different days 122
38. On the meaning and origin of injustice 128
39. On the significance of a popular saying, and the meaning of certain words 136
40. On why relatives and kinfolk are prone to outbreaks of extreme hostility 138
41. On why people become angry when others impute evil to them 140
42. On why a person who is being talked about suddenly appears out of nowhere; on the nature of coincidences 142
43. On the meaning of certain ordinary and technical terms 146
44. On the meaning of certain prepositional expressions concerning God 164
45. On the nature of the sense of familiarity we feel toward particular places and people 168
46. On why epilepsy is so hard to treat 170
47. On why people are so enamored of ascetic individuals 172
48. On why some people squander their money despite the harmful consequences this entails while others are miserly even though this gives them a bad name 174
49. On why some people keep their affairs private while others broadcast them for all to hear 176
50. On why self-praise is unseemly 178
51. On why people disparage avarice even though they’re avaricious; on the origin of avarice and generosity 178
52. On why people blame treachery and praise fidelity even though treachery predominates among them 182
53. On the origin of the customs of different nations 184
54. On why people don’t grow young again after they’ve grown old 186
55. On the benefit people derive from likening some things to others 188
56. On why some dreams are true and others false 190
57. On the nature of dreams 192
58. On why friendship arises between apparently dissimilar individuals 196
59. On the definition and nature of knowledge 202
60. On why people make apparently false statements when expressing admiration 210
61. On why people take pleasure in contemplating beautiful forms 212
62. On why people are more adept at counseling others than at managing their own affairs 218
63. On why the sight of open wounds provokes horror and fascination 220
64. On why people love the present world; on whether the religious Law can conflict with nature 224
65. On why people take their own lives 228
66. On a philosophical puzzle relating to the act of suicide 232
67. On moral change and acting out of character 234
68. On the meaning of a certain saying concerning God’s beneficence 236
69. On why noble-minded people love cleanliness 240
70. On the merits of singing versus playing musical instruments 246
71. On why some people master different subjects more easily than others 250
72. On the nature of physiognomy 254
73. On why people covet things denied to them 262
74. On why people inquire into what will happen in the future 266
75. Notes 271
76. Glossary 276
77. Bibliography 281
78. Further Reading 285
79. Index 286
80. About the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute 294
81. About the Typefaces 295
82. Titles Published by the Library of Arabic Literature 296
83. About the Editor–Translators 300