Ameen Rihani News and Events
The Institute of Lebanese Thought at Notre Dame University (NDU), Lebanon
In collaboration with the Department of Philosophy, Religious and Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Humanities at NDU
And in cooperation with the Anis Makdisi Program in Literature at The American University of Beirut (AUB)
Will organize a conference on
The Philosophy of Ameen Rihani
On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, November 23, 24 and 25, 2016
Rationale
It is well recognized that Ameen Rihani was a distinguished bilingual man of letters, a leading writer to support freedom and human rights, a sincere promoter of building intellectual bridges between East and West; he was as well, the Founding Father of Arab American Literature, and a genuine advocate of modern thought in order to pave the way for modern literature and modern art.
It is perhaps less known that Ameen Rihani is also a philosopher due to the fact that he did not leave works in classical philosophy. His philosophy is not a classical built up system by itself as much as it is a concern, a trend of thought, and a means towards a further goal. His human philosophy aims at building a better future for humanity, whether in literature, art and sciences, in politics, or in the history of human thought.
Rihani scholars tend to believe that his Philosophy is based on seven fundamental factors and eight essential schools of thought: the philosophic factors could be summarized in the following: agnosticism, reason, ethics, divinity, freedom, life, and truth; and the philosophic schools may be found in: social and spiritual evolution, transcendentalism, pantheism, idealism, reality of mysticism, national commitment, the Great City, and bridging East and West.
Conference Topics
The purpose of this conference is to examine those factors and philosophic schools and determine their impact on Rihani’s thought as expressed through his literary and political works in Arabic and English. Based on the above, the conference committee suggests to discuss the following topics:
Agnosticism and Rationalism in Rihani’s Thought Rihani’s Belief in Ethical Values and Behavior Transcendentalism in Rihani’s Approach to the World Pantheism in Rihani’s Philosophy The National Thought Versus the Human Attitude according to Rihani Rihani’s Great City or the Sublime of a Bright Future for Humanity East and West according to Rihani, a Bridge, a Dialogue, or another Image of the duality of Spirit and Matter?
Date and Venue
Professors of Philosophy, Comparative modern Thought, Middle Eastern Studies, and Arab American Cultural Relations are invited to participate in this conference that will take place on November 24 and 25, 2016, at Notre Dame University, Louaize, Lebanon.
Abstracts and Brief Bio Submission
You are kindly requested to send your abstracts, of 250-300 words, together with a brief bio of 150-200 words, not later than Monday 7th of March 2016, to:
Institute of Lebanese Thought
E-mail: pnohra@ndu.edu.lb ilt@ndu.edu.lb
Within 7-10 days from the date of abstract submission.
Final Paper Submission
Not later than Monday, September 26, 2016, to be sent to the e-mails mentioned above.
Conference Program
The final program of the conference will be sent to you no later than Thursday, October 20, 2016.
View Conference Program (Released in late October, 2016)
Rihani's Philosophic Writings in English
(or translated into English)| Book | Article or Chapter | Pages |
Agnosticism |
||
| The White Way and the Desert | Agnosticism | 71-73 |
| Wajdah | A Play on Skepticism and Faith | 102 pages |
| The Path of Vision | The Highest Ideal Minds and Monominds Touring and Commuting |
19-23 (20) 25-28 (27) 29-32 (31) |
Rationalism |
||
| The Rihani Essays, Book I | The Lights of Thought | 68-71 |
| The Rihani Essays, Book II | A Non-Religious Sermon The Mind and the Body Seeds for Teachers to Sow The Upbringing of Children In Defense of Light |
327-332 357-358 449-453 498-501 502-507 |
| The Path of Vision | Minds and Monominds | 25-28 |
Philosophy of Ethics |
||
| The Rihani Essays, Book I | Ethics Smile |
199-225 248-250 |
Philosophy of Freedom & Democracy |
||
| The Book of Khalid, Book II | The Dowry of Democracy | 97-111 |
| The Path of Vision | Citizen and Yogi | 91-94 |
Philosopy of Divinity & Immortal Soul |
||
| The Rihani Essays, Book I | The Wisdom of the Maker | 78-80 |
| The Rihani Essays, Book II | Divinity Between Me and Myself The Anonymous Friend |
300 348-351 454-456 |
| The Book of Khalid, Book III | The Disentanglement of the Me | 203-213 |
The Philosopy of Life |
||
| The Rihani Essays, Book I | Conducts of Life The Value of Life |
155-159 160-170 |
| The Rihani Essays, Book II | The Margin of Life The Crocus and the Red Anemones |
352-356 475-481 |
The Philosopy of Truth |
||
| The Path of Vision | The Question of Pontius Pilate | 47-50 |
| The Rihani Essays, Book II | The Scattered Truth The Great Truth |
336-340 374 |
The Philosopy of Transcendentalism |
||
| The Book of Khalid, Book I | The Cellar of the Soul | 46-57 |
| The Book of Khalid, Book II | To Nature The Kaaba of Solitude Signs of the Hermit |
95 171-180 181-188 |
| The Book of Khalid, Book III | The Desert | 302-315 |
| The Path of Vision | A Footnote of Nature From Concord to Syria My Native Horizon Mine Own Country |
37-40 57-60 61-65 67-72 |
| The White Way and the Desert | Spring in Lebanon My Poet Companions The American Sun The Majestic Lebanon |
143-146 157-158 161 163-165 |
The Theory & Philosophy of Evolution |
||
| The Book of Khalid, Book III | Union and Progress | 250-261 |
| The Path of Vision | “Myself When Young Did Early Frequent” | 51-54 |
| The Rihani Essays, Book I | Between Theology and Science | 178-181 |
The Philosophy of Pantheism |
||
| The Book of Khalid, Book III | Revolutions Within and Without Adumbrations |
262-271 283-294 |
| The White Way and the Desert | The Amphora of the Devil Where East and West Meet The White Way and the Desert Thus Spoke Zarathustra |
75-84 15-22 33-41 123-124 |
| The Rihani Essays, Book II | The Trilateral Wisdom Trinities |
287-292 470-474 |
The Philosophy of Idealism |
||
| The Book of Khalid, Book II | The Vineyard of the Kaaba | 202-213 |
| The Path of Vision | The Highest Ideal The Question of Pontius Pilate |
19-23 47-50 |
| The White Way and the Desert | The Plant of the Ideal | 147-156 |
| The Rihani Essays, Book I | What is Happiness? | 255-260 |
| The Rihani Essays, Book II | The Foundations of Happiness In the Spring of Despair Optimism The Most Exalted Prophet Candles and Suns |
301-306 311-318 341-344 486-491 492-495 |
The Philosophy of “Mysti-Realism” or Mystical Reality |
||
| The Book of Khalid, Book III | The Voice of the Dawn | 214-219 |
| The Path of Vision | The Path of Vision The Mysticism of Reality Minds and Monominds “Myself When Young Did Early Frequent” Change and Exchange |
9-13 15-18 25-28 51-54 87-90 |
| The White Way and the Desert | My East and West Romantic Deserts in Fact and Fiction |
23-32 45-50 |
The Philosophy of National Commitment |
||
| The Book of Khalid, Book III | Union and Progress A Dream of Empire |
250-261 272-282 |
| The White Way and the Desert | Escape from Civilization | 51-55 |
| The Pan Arab Movement | The entire book | 1-71 |
The Philosophy of The Great City |
||
| The Rihani Essays, Book I | The Great City Equality The Spirit of Our Times |
139-145 146-149 117-121 |
| The Book of Khalid, Book III | The Self Ecstatic | 220-229 |
| The White Way and the Desert | The Liberty of Women | 87-92 |
Editions referenced above are:
The Book of Khalid
Illustrated by Kahlil Gibran, afterword by Todd Fine, Melville House Publishing, Brooklyn, New York, 2012, originally published by Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, 1911, ISBN: 978-1-61219-087-7
The Rihani Essays
Translated from the Arabic of the book Ar-Rihaniyyaat with a forward by Rula Zuheir Baalbaki, M.A., revised by Amal Saleeby Malek, Ph.D., Platform International, Washington, DC, First Edition, 2010, ISBN: 1-930733-09-7
Wajdah
A play on skepticism and faith, Platform International, Washington, DC, First Edition, 2001, (posth), ISBN-10: 0963434993, ISBN-13: 978-0963434999
The Path of Vision
Edited by Mary-Angela Willis, Ph.D., Platform International, Washington, DC, Fourth Edition, 2008, ISBN: 1-930733-06-2
The White Way and the Desert
Introduction by Allan B. Nichols, Platform International, Washington, DC, First Edition, 2002 (posth.), ISBN: 1-930733-02-X
The Pan Arab Movement
Edited by Mary-Angela Willis, Ph.D., Platform International, Washington, DC, 2008 (posth.), ISBN: 1-930733-07-0
ARCHIVES
(Past News & Events)
(Past News & Events)
- Unveiling Rihani's Bust at a New Memorial in Lebanon, Unveiling Ceremony (July, 2011)
- The Centennial World Events of Rihani’s Book of Khalid, 100th Anniversary Commemorative Events Regarding The Book of Khalid (January, 2011)
- The Book of Khalid's Centennial Logo, ARO announces new logo in commemoration of the centennial of The Book of Khalid (July, 2010)
- The Centennial of the Book Ar-Rihaniyyaat, Celebrating 100 Years Since the First Edition of Ar-Rihaniyyaat (The Rihani Essays) - (January, 2010)
- Waves of My Life and Other Poems, A Newly Published Book by Rihani (March, 2009)
- Inaugural of Rihani's Lecture Series, The University of Maryland Launches Annual Lecture Series on Rihani (September, 2008)
- American Literary History, Rihani in the American Literary History Journal (August, 2008)
- The Book of Khalid Project, Book of Khalid Project Launched at Syracuse University (September, 2007)
- Web Site's 10th Anniversary, Celebrating Ten Years Online (April, 2007)
- New Bust for Rihani, Rihani's Bust at Notre Dame University, Lebanon (March, 2007)
- The Rihani National Committee, Launching the RNC (May, 2006)
- Graduating Class of 2006, Lebanese University's Graduating Class of 2006 Named After Rihani (April, 2006)
- Heart of Lebanon Translated, For the First Time, an English Translation of The Heart of Lebanon (April, 2005)
- Universities Celebrate Bust, Nine University Presidents Celebrate Unveiling of Rihani's Bust (December, 2004)
- Rihani's Statue in the U.S., Ameen Rihani's Bust is Unveiled at Tufts University (December, 2004)
- New Website Launched, Expanded and Enhanced Rihani Website (July, 2004)
- Rihani: Bridging East and West, International Symposium in Washington, D.C. (April, 2002)
- Lore of The Arabian Nights, A New Book Published For the First Time (January, 2002)
- Letters to Uncle Sam, A New Book Published For the First Time (August, 2001)
- Rihani Lecture at the Temenos Academy in London (June, 2001)
- Wajdah, A Rihani Play Published for the First Time (April, 2001)
- Rihani Museum Expansion (January, 2001)
- Museum Statistics (January, 2001)
- Correspondence Between Rihani and King Abdul-Aziz (December, 2000)
- Rihani and Walt Whitman in China (November, 2000)
- A.U.B. Students Visit Rihani Museum (November, 2000)
- The Path of Vision Translated into Arabic (October, 2000)
- Rihani in Saudi Symposium (October, 2000)
- A New Edition of The Book of Khalid (May, 2000)
- Art Exhibit on Rihani's The Heart of Lebanon (April, 2000)
- Rihani Institute Launching (November, 1999)
- Rihani's New Book Critiques in Art (September, 1999)
- Rihani Conference at St. Joseph, Lebanon (September, 1999)
- Dinner at the Library of Congress to Honor Rihani (April 1999)
- Rihani Papers Donated to the Library of Congress (March 1999)
- Rihani, the Art Critic (March 1999)
- Rihani in the Media of Kuwait (March 1999)
- US Ambassador to Lebanon Visits Rihani Museum (March 1999)
- Rihani's Home Page Ranked 12th by Lycos (February 1999)
- A.R.O. Releases New Statistical Data (February 1999)
- Rihani in the Saudi Media (January 1999)
- Conference Papers on Rihani (January 1999)
- Rihani - Part of a Musical in Saudi Arabia (January 1999)
- Literary Recital in Bulgaria (December 1998)
- Rihani's Return to the Arabic Language (1998)
- Beirut Exhibit (November-December 1998)
- New Book by Dr. Geoffrey Nash (1998)
- Rihani in the Media (October 1998)
- Rihani's English Works in Lebanon High Schools
- Articles on Rihani (July-September 1998)
- Agreement Signed For Correspondence with King Abdul-Aziz (September 1998)
- Rihani on TV (September 1998)
- International Conference on Rihani and Gibran (August 1998)