The Future of Human Nature: A Reinterpretation of al-Jāḥiẓ and Ibn Khaldūn’s Theories of Environmental Influence from Epigenetic and Theological Perspectives

Abstract

Whether the biological and moral constitution of humans possesses a fixed essence or exhibits a dynamic nature shaped by environmental factors remains a central question. It is a focal point of modern science—particularly epigenetics—and a fundamental issue in theology, bearing on fiṭrah (innate human disposition) and on the workings of divine creation (Sunnatullāh). Addressing this problem, the study reinterprets the approaches of al-Jāḥiẓ (d. 255/869) and Ibn Khaldūn (d. 808/1406), two pioneering thinkers of the Islamic intellectual tradition who placed environmental factors such as climate, geography, and nutrition at the center of their accounts of human change. Drawing on qualitative, comparative, and interpretive analysis, the study contrasts the static approach of classical genetic determinism with the flexible biological model of phenotypic plasticity offered by epigenetics. This scientific paradigm exhibits a notable conceptual parallelism with al-Jāḥiẓ’s concept of latent potentials (kumūn) emerging through external factors (zuhūr), and Ibn Khaldūn’s theories on the role of geography and nutrition in character construction. Treating these approaches as “theories of environmental influence,” the study argues that the effect of the environment on human nature is not an essential transformation but a limited and directive process unfolding within the framework of Sunnatullāh. By bridging theology and epigenetics, the study concludes that human nature is not a static entity but a dynamic “bio-theological structure” in constant interaction with the environment. Consequently, ensuring the biological and moral integrity of future generations is redefined as a theological responsibility—the obligation to preserve fiṭrah—which is contingent upon protecting the present ecological balance.