An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, Volume 5: From the School of Shiraz to the Twentieth Century

Persia is home to one of the few civilizations in the world that has had a continuous tradition of philosophical thought lasting more than two and a half millennia. From the time Zoroaster brought the Gathas, the sacred scripture of Zoroastrianism, until today, it has had a philosophical tradition comprising diverse schools and various languages including Avestan and Pahlavi as well as Arabic and Persian. The West has seen surveys of Persian art and anthologies of Persian literature, but this work is the first to present a millennial tradition of philosophy in Persia in the form of translated selections and introductory sections for each period and figure. Existing translations have been used where possible but most of the selections have been newly translated for this work which, with the help of the explanatory introductions, makes possible an intellectual journey into a philosophical continent much of which has been uncharted for Westerners until now. The fifth and final volume of An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia deals with some seven centuries of Islamic thought stretching from the era following the Mongol invasion to the end of the Qajar period. Organized around the cities which became the main centres of philosophical activity during this long period, the volume is divided into three parts: 'The School of Shiraz', whose importance not only for Persia but also for Ottoman Turkey and Muslim India is only now being recognized; 'The School of Isfahan', which marks the integration of some eight centuries of Islamic thought and culminates with Mulla Sadra; and finally 'The School of Tehran', where traditional philosophy first encountered modern thought in Persia, bringing this series into present times. --Bloomsbury Publishing. Persian civilisation has had a continuous tradition of philosophical thought lasting more than two and a half millennia. The fifth and final volume of An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia examines the seven centuries between the Mongol invasion and the end of the Qajar period. The volume is divided into three parts: 'The School of Shiraz,' whose importance for Ottoman Turkey and Muslim India is only now being recognized; 'The School of Isfahan,' which marks the integration of some eight centuries of Islamic thought; and finally 'The School of Tehran,' where traditional philosophy encountered modern thought in Persia. This volume is of the utmost significance for understanding the Islamic intellectual tradition not only in Persia but also in Ottoman Turkey and Muslim India. This is the second volume in a projected five-volume work covering the full expanse of Persian philosophical thought from the Zoroastrianism of the pre-Christian era up to the present day. Volume II is devoted entirely to the work of the Isma'ili and Hermetic-Pythagorean philosophers