When Arabic thought shaped the enlightenment

I was reading a book about the close relationship between mind and body when some of its pages led me to the work of Alexander Bevilacqua, The Republic of Arabic Letters: Islam and the European Enlightenment.
My curiosity then prompted me to look up this author online, where I came across this book whose title immediately caught my attention. Fortunately, I was able to obtain a digital copy in English and began reading it right away.
The author begins by situating the cultural and intellectual context of the 17th and 18th centuries, an era marked by Europe’s increasing engagement with lands beyond its geographical borders, spurred by exploration, trade and imperial expansion.
It was also the age of Enlightenment, a movement characterised by an emphasis on reason, science and skepticism towards traditional authority. Within this setting, European scholars turned to the intellectual heritage of the Islamic world. Bevilacqua contends that Europe’s engagement with Arabic and Islamic learning was not a marginal episode in Enlightenment history but a central element of it. Scholars actively sought Arabic manuscripts in philosophy, science, medicine and theology, recognising that the Islamic world had not only preserved but also enriched the knowledge of antiquity.
The influence of Arabic and Islamic sciences on European Enlightenment thought is one of Bevilacqua’s key themes. He offers numerous examples of European thinkers drawing inspiration from Arabic works.
European philosophers, for instance, studied Avicenna and Averroes extensively. Avicenna’s contributions to medicine and philosophy — particularly his commentaries on Aristotle — were highly esteemed.
Similarly, Averroes’s commentaries on Aristotle had a significant impact on European rationalist philosophy. Bevilacqua also highlights the role of Islamic mathematics and science in shaping Europe’s intellectual landscape.
The works of Al Khwarizmi, Al Battani and Ibn Al Haytham were translated and studied by European scholars. Al Khwarizmi’s writings on algebra and algorithms formed the foundation of modern mathematics, while Ibn Al Haytham’s Book of Optics influenced the development of the scientific method.
The book also sheds light on the intellectual exchange between Europe and the Islamic world during the 17th and 18th centuries, with a special focus on how Europeans engaged with Arabic texts, most notably the Quran, Islam’s sacred scripture and guide to life, which was first translated into Latin by Robert of Ketton in 1143.
The book further highlights the extensive networks of scholars, both European and Arab, who corresponded and exchanged ideas during this period, forming a 'Republic of Letters' that transcended cultural and geographical boundaries. European scholars corresponded with Muslim intellectuals, sought their expertise and benefitted from their insights.
For example, the Dutch orientalist Jacobus Golius exchanged texts and ideas with Arab scholars. The Italian Jesuit Filippo Guadagnoli spent several years in the Levant studying Arabic and Islamic texts.
His translations of Arabic works on theology and philosophy were widely read in Europe and influenced the development of Christian thought. Another prominent figure is the French orientalist Antoine Galland, best known for his translation of The Thousand and One Nights.
Galland’s work introduced European audiences to the rich literary traditions of the Islamic world and ignited a fascination with Oriental tales and Arab culture. Such cross-cultural dialogues enriched both sides and fostered deeper understanding.
In conclusion, Bevilacqua argues that Europe’s engagement with Arabic texts encouraged a more critical and questioning approach to knowledge, reinforcing the Enlightenment’s core values of reason and empiricism.
He believes that Europe’s exposure to Islamic philosophy and science helped dissolve rigid boundaries between disciplines and prompted European scholars to recognise the interconnectedness of knowledge and adopt more holistic approaches to learning.
This interdisciplinary outlook became a hallmark of Enlightenment thought and laid the groundwork for modern intellectual traditions. The book pays tribute to the scholars, translators and thinkers who bridged cultural divides and helped build a truly global republic of letters and sciences.