Immigrant Ideas from the West to the East

The Center for Arab Unity Studies published the second edition of the book Immigrant Ideas from the West to the East by Dr. Ali Oumlil.

In the modern era, ideas migrated from the north to the south because they were needed, or arrived in the wake of invasion. They were either met with admiration or met with resistance. Our ancient philosophers accepted Greek political thought, stripped of its historical, political, and legal background. Hence, for them, the political city of Greece became a metaphysical city, a city dedicated to managing the life of the Islamic philosopher.

This book expands the scope of comparison beyond the West-Islam dichotomy. How were the ideas of the modern West received here, and how were they received in the Far East, in China and Japan?

The book examines the West’s self-image, examining how it transitioned from a self-centered West and confident in its future, to facing demographic imbalances with the rest of the world, the rise of Asian economic power, and the effects of immigration on its institutions and cultural values.

The book addresses the individual as a moral and legal value, its origins and development, and its significance for current Arab developments and the regression to collective identities that preceded the existence of the individual. It also explores the concept of the people and how they become means for the tyranny of the majority or the oppression of a despotic ruler. The book also examines the evolution of the ideas of the Enlightenment era among Arab thinkers, their interpretation of these ideas, and the limitations of this interpretation.