al-Baghdadi, Abu ’l-Barakat (fl. c.1200–50)

A maverick philosopher, respected medical authority, and seemingly somewhat tempestuous individual, Abu ‘l-Barakat al-Baghdadi produced one voluminous work (the Kitab al-mu‘tabar) in which the philosophical views current in his day – principally associated with the name of Ibn Sina – were subjected to a penetrating analysis, and many interesting alternatives suggested. His most provocative ideas concern self-awareness, the physics of motion and the idea of time.