This course introduces students to the different perspectives on moral and political thought in Arabic philosophy. Looking at primary texts (in translation) written by Muslim and Jewish philosophers between the 10th and 14th century CE, the course will showcase the synergy between Arabic thought and Hellenist culture through the direct engagement with Greek philosophical writings such as gnomological literature, Plato’s Republic, Galen’s Synopsis of Plato’s Laws, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Porphyry’s Commentary on the Nicomachean Ethics and some of the Stagirite’s political ideas in the Rhetoric. While underlining the importance of such synergy between Arabic and Greek philosophy in the late antique context, the aim here is to put Arabic political and moral writings in their Islamic cultural context to better grasp the complexity of the philosophers’ political and moral reflections. Among some of the questions that will be addressed are: What is moral/political philosophy in the Arabic context? How did it emerge and why? How did Arabic philosophers understand Aristotle’s and Plato’s moral and political ideas on the good life? What are the primary concerns of moral and political philosophy in the Arabic context? Some of the major themes include the question of political leadership and legitimacy, the perfect rule or virtuous city in the Islamic context, the role of the philosopher in governance, prophecy and the political role of the philosopher-king-prophet, the theory of the soul and virtue ethics, the different political regimes, the relation between law and politics, moral ontology and epistemology, the role of logic in politics, the status of the philosopher in the imperfect cities, the political role of friendship, the concept of civilization and rulership.