The Emerging Field of Ethics in the Context of Modern Egypt

This article traces the emergence of ethical thinking (al-tafkīr al-akhlāqī) in Egypt since the late nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century and seeks to identify the motives and contexts of the resurgence of the field of ethics. This era is informed by its connection in Arab thought to the nahda, the so-called Arab Awakening, and, equally, its coincidence with the movement for the revival of Arab tradition and its dissemination. A great number of studies have examined the reform movement in the Muslim world (iṣlāḥ) and highlighted its main theorists and their various and multifaceted contributions to modern Islamic thought. Despite the richness of available literature, one easily notices the near complete absence of references to anything related to ethics within the legacy of this movement. In this study, the purpose is to discover dimensions of reform. © Author