A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps, Volume 3: Philosophy in the Islamic World

The latest in the series based on the popular History of Philosophy podcast, this volume presents the first full history of philosophy in the Islamic world for a broad readership. It takes an approach unprecedented among introductions to this subject, by providing full coverage of Jewish and Christian thinkers as well as Muslims, and by taking the story of philosophy from its beginnings in the world of early Islam all the way through to the twentieth century. Major figures like Avicenna, Averroes, and Maimonides are covered in great detail, but the book also looks at less familiar thinkers, including women philosophers. Attention is also given to the philosophical relevance of Islamic theology (kalam) and mysticism--the Sufi tradition within Islam, and Kabbalah among Jews--and to science, with chapters on disciplines like optics and astronomy. The book is divided into three sections, with the first looking at the first blossoming of Islamic theology and responses to the Greek philosophical tradition in the world of Arabic learning. This'formative period'culminates with the work of Avicenna, the pivotal figure to whom most later thinkers feel they must respond. The second part of the book discusses philosophy in Muslim Spain (Andalusia), where Jewish philosophers come to the fore, though this is also the setting for such thinkers as Averroes and Ibn Arabi. Finally, a third section looks in unusual detail at later developments, touching on philosophy in the Ottoman, Mughal, and Safavid empires and showing how thinkers in the nineteenth to the twentieth century were still concerned to respond to the ideas that had animated philosophy in the Islamic world for centuries, while also responding to political and intellectual challenges from the European colonial powers. Cover 1 Philosophy in The Islamic World 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Preface 12 Acknowledgements 14 Dates 16 Part I: The Formative Period 26 1: The Straight Path—Philosophy and Islam 28 2: All for One—The Muʿtazilites 35 3: Founded in Translation—From Greek to Syriac to Arabic 44 4: Philosopher of the Arabs—al-Kindī 51 5: The Chosen Ones—Philosophy and Judaism 58 6: Reasoned Belief—Saadia Gaon 66 7: High Five—al-Rāzī 73 8: Aristotelian Society—The Baghdad School 80 9: The Second Master—al-Fārābī 88 10: State of Mind—al-Fārābī on Religion and Politics 95 11: Eye of the Beholder—Theories of Vision 102 12: Strings Attached—Music and Philosophy 109 13: Balancing Acts—Arabic Ethical Literature 116 14: Undercover Brothers—Philosophy in the Būyid Age 123 15: God Willing—The Ashʿarites 131 16: The Self-Made Man—Avicenna ́s Life and Works 138 17: By the Time I Get to Phoenix—Avicenna on Existence 145 18: By All Means Necessary—Avicenna on God 151 19: Into Thin Air—Avicenna on the Soul 158 20: Special Delivery—al-Ghazālī 165 21: Miracle Worker—al-Ghazālī Against the Philosophers 172 Part II: Andalusia 180 22: Philosophy ́s Reign in Spain— Andalusia 182 23: Laying Down the Law—Ibn Ḥazm and Islamic Legal Theory 188 24: Fantasy Island—Ibn Bjja and Ibn Ṭufayl 196 25: Back to Basics—Averroes on Reason and Religion 204 26: Single Minded—Averroes on the Intellect 212 27: A Matter of Taste—Ibn ʿarabī and Sufism 219 28: Team Spirit—Ibn Khaldūn 226 29: Matter Over Mind—Ibn Gabirol 233 30: Choosing My Religion—Judah Hallevi 240 31: Born Under a Bad Sign—Freedom and Astrology in Jewish Philosophy 247 32: With all Your Heart—Ethics and Judaism 254 33: The Great Eagle—Maimonides 261 34: He Moves in Mysterious Ways—Maimonides on Eternity 267 35: Burnt Offerings—The Maimonidean Controversy 274 36: Man and Superman—Gersonides and the Jewish Reception of Averroes 281 37: Neither the Time Nor the Place—Ḥasdai crescas 288 38: When Bad Things Happen to Good People—Suffering in Jewish Philosophy 296 39: Chariot of Fire—Kabbalah 303 40: A Matter of Principles—Joseph Albo and Isaac Abravanel 310 Part III: The Later Traditions 318 41: Golden Ages—The Later Traditions 320 42: All Things Considered—Abū L-Barakāt Al-Baghdādī 327 43: For the Sake of Argument—Fakhr Al-Dīn Al-Rāzī 334 44: Let There be Light—Suhrawardī 341 45: Bright Ideas—Illuminationism 348 46: A Man for All Seasons—Naṣīr Al-Dīn Al-Ṭūsī 355 47: To Be or Not To Be—Debating Avicenna ́s Metaphysics 362 48: Eyes Wide Shut—Rūmī and Philosophical Sufism 369 49: Proof Positive—The Logical Tradition 376 50: By the Book—Ibn Taymiyya 383 51: Aftermath—Philosophy and Science in The Mongol Age 390 52: Family Feud—Philosophy at Shīrāz 397 53: Follow The Leader—Philosophy Under The Safavids 404 54: To Be, Continued—Mullā Ṣadrā On Existence 411 55: Return To Sender—Mullā Ṣadrā On Motion and Knowledge 418 56: Subcontinental Drift—Philosophy in Islamic India 425 57: Turkish Delights—Philosophy Under The Ottomans 432 58: Blind Alley—Taqlīd, Sufism, and Philosophy 439 59: The Young Ones—Encounters With European Thought 446 60: The Stronger Sex—Women Scholars in the Islamic World 451 61: All For One and One For All—Muḥammad ʿAbduh and Muḥammad Iqbāl 459 62: Iran So Far—The Heirs of Mullā Ṣadrā 466 Notes 474 Preface 474 Chapter 1 474 Chapter 2 474 Chapter 3 475 Chapter 4 476 Chapter 5 476 Chapter 6 477 Chapter 7 477 Chapter 8 478 Chapter 9 479 Chapter 10 479 Chapter 11 480 Chapter 12 480 Chapter 13 481 Chapter 14 482 Chapter 15 483 Chapter 16 483 Chapter 17 484 Chapter 18 484 Chapter 19 485 Chapter 20 486 Chapter 21 486 Chapter 22 487 Chapter 23 487 Chapter 24 488 Chapter 25 488 Chapter 26 489 Chapter 27 490 Chapter 28 490 Chapter 29 491 Chapter 30 491 Chapter 31 492 Chapter 32 492 Chapter 33 493 Chapter 34 493 Chapter 35 493 Chapter 36 494 Chapter 37 495 Chapter 38 496 Chapter 39 496 Chapter 40 497 Chapter 41 498 Chapter 42 498 Chapter 43 499 Chapter 44 499 Chapter 45 500 Chapter 46 501 Chapter 47 501 Chapter 48 502 Chapter 49 502 Chapter 50 503 Chapter 51 503 Chapter 52 504 Chapter 53 505 Chapter 54 505 Chapter 55 506 Chapter 56 507 Chapter 57 507 Chapter 58 508 Chapter 59 509 Chapter 60 510 Chapter 61 511 Chapter 62 511 FURTHER READING 514 General Overviews 514 Collections of Primary Sources in Translation 514 The Formative Period 514 Andalusia 515 The Eastern Traditions 515 Early Kalām 515 The Greek–Arabic Translation Movement 516 al-Kindī 516 Early Jewish Philosophy 516 al-Rāzī 516 The Baghdad School 517 al-Fārābī 517 Theories of Vision 517 Music and Philosophy 517 Arabic Ethics 518 Philosophy in the Būyid Age 518 The Ashʿarites 518 Avicenna 518 Avicenna’s Metaphysics 518 Avicenna on God 519 Avicenna on the Soul 519 al-Ghazālī 519 Ibn Ḥazm and Islamic Legal Theory 519 Ibn Ṭufayl 520 Averroes 520 Ibn ʿArabī 520 Ibn Khaldūn 520 Ibn Gabirol 521 Judah Hallevi 521 Freedom and Astrology 521 Ethics and Judaism 521 Maimonides 522 Maimonides on Eternity 522 The Maimonides Controversy 522 Gersonides 522 Ḥasdai Crescas 522 Suffering in Jewish Philosophy 523 Kabbalah 523 Joseph Albo and Isaac Abravanel 523 Abū L-Barakāt Al-Baghdādī 523 Fakhr Al-Dīn Al-Rāzī 523 Suhrawardī 524 Naṣīr Al-Dīn Al-Ṭūsī 524 Debating Avicenna’s Metaphysics 524 Rūmī and Philosophical Sufism 524 The Logical Tradition 525 Ibn Taymiyya 525 Philosophy and Science in the Mongol Age 525 Philosophy at Shīrāz 525 Women and Islam 527 Muḥammad ʿAbduh and Muḥammad Iqbāl 527 The Heirs of Mullā Ṣadrā 527 Index 528 Пустая страница 1 "Philosophy in the Islamic world is the third of a series of books in which Peter Adamson aims ultimately to present a complete history of philosophy, more thoroughly but also more enjoyably than ever before. He offers an accessible, humorous, and detailed look at the emergence of philosophy with the Presocratics, the probing questions of Socrates, and the first full flowering of philosophy with the dialogues of Plato and the treatises of Aristotle. The story is told 'without any gaps', discussing not only such major figures but also less commonly discussed topics like the Hippocratic Corpus, the Platonic Academy, and the role of women in ancient philosophy. Within the thought of Plato and Aristotle, the reader will find in-depth introductions to major works, such as the Republic and the Nicomachean Ethics, which are treated in detail that is unusual in an introduction to ancient philosophy. Adamson looks at fascinating but less frequently read Platonic dialogues like the Charmides and Cratylus, and Aristotle's ideas in zoology and poetics. This full coverage allows him to tackle ancient discussions in all areas of philosophy, including epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, ethics and politics. Attention is also given to the historical and literary context of classical philosophy, with exploration of how early Greek cosmology responded to the poets Homer and Hesiod, how Socrates was presented by the comic playwright Aristophanes and the historian Xenophon, and how events in Greek history may have influenced Plato's thought."--Publisher's description "Classical Philosophy is the first of a series of books in which Peter Adamson aims ultimately to present a complete history of philosophy, more thoroughly but also more enjoyably than ever before. He offers an accessible, humorous, and detailed look at the emergence of philosophy with the Presocratics, the probing questions of Socrates, and the first full flowering of philosophy with the dialogues of Plato and the treatises of Aristotle. The story is told 'without any gaps', discussing not only such major figures but also less commonly discussed topics like the Hippocratic Corpus, the Platonic Academy, and the role of women in ancient philosophy. Within the thought of Plato and Aristotle, the reader will find in-depth introductions to major works, such as the Republic and the Nicomachean Ethics, which are treated in detail that is unusual in an introduction to ancient philosophy. Adamson looks at fascinating but less frequently read Platonic dialogues like the Charmides and Cratylus, and Aristotle's ideas in zoology and poetics. This full coverage allows him to tackle ancient discussions in all areas of philosophy, including epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, ethics and politics. Attention is also given to the historical and literary context of classical philosophy, with exploration of how early Greek cosmology responded to the poets Homer and Hesiod, how Socrates was presented by the comic playwright Aristophanes and the historian Xenophon, and how events in Greek history may have influenced Plato's thought."--Publisher's description In the history of philosophy, few topics are so relevant to today's cultural and political landscape as philosophy in the Islamic world. Yet, this remains one of the lesser-known philosophical traditions. In this Very Short Introduction , Peter Adamson explores the history of philosophy among Muslims, Jews, and Christians living in Islamic lands, from its historical background to thinkers in the twentieth century. Introducing the main philosophical themes of the Islamic world, Adamson integrates ideas from the Islamic and Abrahamic faiths to consider the broad philosophical questions that continue to invite debate: What is the relationship between reason and religious belief? What is the possibility of proving God's existence? What is the nature of knowledge? Drawing on the most recent research in the field, this book challenges the assumption of the cultural decline of philosophy and science in the Islamic world by demonstrating its rich heritage and overlap with other faiths and philosophies. V. 1. Classical Philosophy -- V. 2. Philosophy In The Hellenisitic And Roman Worlds -- V. 3. Philosophy In The Islamic World. Peter Adamson. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes.