The problem of ‘identity and difference’ lies at the heart of metaphysical analysis from Plato to Hegel. The talk will examine the Muslim mystical philosopher’s Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn al-‘Arabī’s (d. 1240) contribution to this problem, focusing on his concept of ‘thingness.’ Exploring the roots of Ibn al-‘Arabī’s metaphysics of objects in Islamic philosophy and philosophical theology (kalām), the talk will demonstrate that he denied intellectual intuition arguing for a representational epistemology.

Ahmed Abdel Meguid is Assistant Professor at the Department of Religion, Syracuse University. He earned his BA at the American University in Cairo and his MA and Ph.D. in Philosophy at Emory University. His research draws on Islamic and German Philosophy focusing on metaphysics and epistemology, philosophical anthropology and political philosophy.