Many historians consider Ibn Khaldun to be the first sociologist. A Muslim scholar from the 14th century, Khaldun studied history with a focus on the development of Muslim societies in North Africa.
Though Khaldun was ethnically Arab, he grew up in Tunis, on the North African coast. His family was wealthy, and many of his ancestors held high political positions within Islamic empires in Spain until the Reconquista began, which prompted them to flee to North Africa. Khaldun was incredibly well-versed in the Quran, and he utilized this knowledge to ground his historical studies in Islamic law. Khaldun lived during a period of great political unrest. He survived the Black Plague, and he lost both his parents to the disease, as well as many of his teachers.
Ibn Khaldun’s central work was the Muqaddimah. Translated as “introduction,” it was written as an introduction to the history of the world through an Islamic lens. In this work, Khaldun evaluated history, sociology, economics, and ethnography. Alongside this work, he developed a new methodology for studying history, called “ilm al-umran”. This scientific theory worked to evaluate the way humans and societies changed over time, and it gave birth to what is perhaps Khaldun’s most recognized work: the theory of asabiyya.
Asabiyya, often translated as “spiritual kinship” or “group solidarity”, describes the sense of shared identity that unites a society, that motivates people to make personal sacrifices for the greater good of their community. This connection is promoted by shared social institutions like mosques and schools that enable people to hold each other accountable. Khaldun used asabiyya as a framework to analyze how human connection is a central force behind the development of empires. He theorized that the core reason behind the rise and fall of empires was this group consciousness, and that when the members of a society lose their connection with one another and their faith in their ruling dynasty, the empire is already in decline. Khaldun grounded this theory in evidence, citing the experiences of groups such as the Banu Abd Manaf and the Berbers.
Asabiyya remains relevant in the present day. Many sociologists continue to use it as a framework, particularly when studying modern Muslim communities and the development of postmodern Islam. But the Machines and Meaning podcast applies a different approach, using asabiyya as a lens to evaluate the impact of artificial intelligence on society. Through this framework, the podcast outlines how AI is a tool, not a true collective purpose (such as economic growth or improving health care), yet many people have begun to treat AI as its own collective purpose, framing it as crucial for further human development and thus elevating it above its true level of service to society. Similarly, the podcast criticizes the position of being entirely opposed to the use of AI, suggesting that people treat this stance as its own collective purpose—a perspective that inherently elevates AI, equating it with real collective values such as the protection of natural resources and human labor. This elevation of a tool creates a falsified sense of unity, generating community cohesion without a true value to provide a foundation. Instead, this podcast urges listeners to consider what our values really are and how AI could potentially be used to serve them.
Machines and Meaning podcast: https://share.transistor.fm/s/99df61d6 by Angel Evan
History Unfiltered 
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