Constructing the Political Imaginary: Ibn Khaldun and Machiavelli

This dissertation traces the formative transformations of Islamic and Western political thought in the longue durée by analyzing the body of symbols, metaphors, linguistic practices, and affective attitudes that form the backdrop against which thinking about politics takes place in discrete historical settings. The arguments that can be appealed to within this affective universe are constrained by a range of premises that need not be deemed “rational” in another context. I take this as a starting point to design a methodology for comparative intellectual history that is informed by recent developments in cognitive psychology as well as by more traditional philosophical works on moral psychology.
I study how Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) and Machiavelli (1469-1527) tackle the problem of political stability without losing sight of the problem of political vitality. I pay close attention to how their respective retrievals of history, and their understanding of such retrievals, lie at the heart of every serious effort at epistemic justification or political legitimation. And I examine in detail their inquiry into the formidable sway of affective drives and their suggestions as to how they can be sublimated. The comparison between Ibn Khaldun and Machiavelli fills a major gap in the literature despite frequent allusions to their resemblance. The comparative approach that I follow, moreover, lends itself to a range of applications. It throws into relief some of the intractable issues in political theory and peace studies and explains why disagreements between different cultures over otherwise trifling issues (dress code, say, or certain aspects of decorum) should become at times a source of great consternation and discontent. It also sheds light on divergences in deeper issues of value, like standards of fairness, limits of autonomy, sources of prestige and status, and responses to modernization.

本论文通过剖析塑造具体历史语境中政治思考之背景的符号体系、隐喻、语言实践与情感态度，探究伊斯兰与西方政治思想在长时段（longue durée）下的形成性变革。在此情感场域中可被援引的论证，受一系列前提预设约束——而这些前提在其他语境中未必会被视作"理性的"。以此为起点，我将结合认知心理学（cognitive psychology）的最新进展与道德心理学领域的传统哲学研究，构建比较思想史研究方法。

我将聚焦伊本·赫勒敦（Ibn Khaldun，1332-1406）与马基雅维利（Machiavelli，1469-1527）如何在兼顾政治活力问题的同时，探讨政治稳定议题。我将细致考察二人各自对历史的回溯式研究，以及他们对这类研究的理解，为何皆是任何严肃的认知证成或政治合法性建构工作的核心所在。我还将详细剖析二人对情感驱力强大影响力的探究，以及他们关于如何对其进行升华的主张。

尽管学界时常提及二人的相似之处，但对伊本·赫勒敦与马基雅维利的比较研究仍填补了该领域的一大空白。此外，我所采用的比较研究方法具备多维度应用价值：它可凸显政治理论与和平研究中的若干棘手难题，并解释为何不同文化间即便在看似琐碎的议题（例如着装规范或部分礼仪规范）上的分歧，有时也会引发强烈的惊愕与不满。该方法还可阐明深层价值议题上的分歧，例如公平标准、自主权边界、声望与地位来源，以及对现代化的应对方式等。