The Muqaddimah

Why it’s on the list: Ibn Khaldun’s fourteenth-century prologue to universal history — asabiyyah, the dynastic cycle, and the argument that civilisations rise and decay on the solidarity of the groups that build them. Frequently called the first work of sociology.

Where I saw it: In the reply thread to @SpencrGreenberg’s question, “What non-fiction book taught you the most about how the world (or how humanity or society) really works?” (June 5, 2025) — a crowd-sourced list Kyle recovered by hand and saved to his Apple Note “Books To Read”; the full set of replies lives on A question for you — What non-fiction… (tweet). It was listed there as “The Muqaddimah”.

Connections

• History — The discipline Ibn Khaldun was trying to put on a footing.
• Institutions — The rise-and-decay cycle he models.
• Culture — Asabiyyah — group solidarity — is the book’s central term.
• A question for you — What non-fiction… (tweet) — the thread this recommendation came from.