Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Peter Adamson (Professor of Late Ancient and Arabic Philosophy, Professor of Late Ancient and Arabic Philosophy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet, Munich)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 16.40cm , Height: 3.50cm , Length: 24.00cm
Weight:   0.922kg
ISBN:  

9780199577491

ISBN 10:   0199577498
Pages:   544
Publication Date:   07 July 2016
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Part I: The Formative Period 1: The Straight Path: Philosophy and Islam 2: All for One: The Mu'tazilites 3: Founded in Translation: From Greek to Syriac to Arabic 4: Philosopher of the Arabs: al-Kind=i 5: The Chosen Ones: Philosophy and Judaism 6: Reasoned Belief: Saadia Gaon 7: High Five: al-R=az=i 8: Aristotelian Society: the Baghdad School 9: The Second Master: al-F=ar=ab=i 10: State of Mind: al-F=ar=ab=i on Religion and Politics 11: Eye of the Beholder: Theories of Vision 12: Strings Attached: Music and Philosophy 13: Balancing Acts: Arabic Ethical Literature 14: Undercover Brothers: Philosophy in the Buyid Age 15: God Willing: the Ash'arites 16: The Self-Made Man: Avicenna's Life and Works 17: By the Time I Get to Phoenix: Avicenna on Existence 18: By All Means Necessary: Avicenna on God 19: Into Thin Air: Avicenna on the Soul 20: Special Delivery: al-Ghaz=al=i 21: Miracle Worker: al-Ghaz=al=i against the Philosophers Part II: Andalusia 22: Philosophy's Reign in Spain: Andalusia 23: Laying Down the Law: Ibn .Hazm and Islamic Legal Theory 24: Fantasy Island: Ibn B=ajja and Ibn Tufayl 25: Back to Basics: Averroes on Reason and Religion 26: Single Minded: Averroes on the Intellect 27: A Matter of Taste: Ibn 'Arab=i and Mysticism 28: Team Spirit: Ibn Khald=un 29: Matter over Mind: Ibn Gabirol 30: Choosing My Religion: Judah Hallevi 31: Born Under a Bad Sign: Freedom and Astrology in Jewish Philosophy 32: With All Your Heart: Ethics and Judaism 33: The Great Eagle: Maimonides 34: He Moves in Mysterious Ways: Maimonides on Eternity 35: Burnt Offerings: the Maimonides Controversy 36: Man and Superman: Gersonides and the Jewish Reception of Averroes 37: Neither the Time nor the Place: .Hasdai Crescas 38: When Bad Things Happen to Good People: Suffering in Jewish Philosophy 39: Chariot of Fire: Kabbalah 40: A Matter of Principles: Joseph Albo and Isaac Abravanel Part III: The Later Traditions 41: Golden Ages: The Later Traditions 42: All Things Considered: Ab=u l-Barak=at al-Baghd=ad=i 43: For the Sake of Argument: Fakhr al-D=in al-R=az=i 44: Let There Be Light: Suhraward=i 45: Bright Ideas: Illuminationism 46: A Man for All Seasons: Na.s=ir al-D=in al-.T=us=i 47: To Be or Not to Be: Debating Avicenna's Metaphysics 48: Eyes Wide Shut: al-R=um=i and Philosophical Sufism 49: Proof Positive: The Logical Tradition 50: By the Book: Ibn Taymiyya 51: Aftermath: Philosophy and Science in the Mongol Age 52: Family Feud: Philosophy at Sh=ir=az 53: Follow the Leader: Philosophy under the Safavids 54: To Be, Continued: Mull=a .Sadr=a on Existence 55: Return to Sender: Mull=a .Sadr=a on Motion and Knowledge 56: Subcontinental Drift: Philosophy in Islamic India 57: Turkish Delights: Philosophy under the Ottomans 58: Blind Alley: Taql=id, Sufism, and Philosophy 59: The Young Ones: Encounters with European Thought 60: The Stronger Sex: Women Scholars in the Islamic World 61: All for One and One for All: Mu.hammad 'Abduh and Mu.hammad Iqb=al 62: Iran So Far: The Heirs of Mull=a .Sadr=a

Reviews

... there is little doubt that this is an achievement of a volume. It is very easy to recommend to students and friends who want to know something of the general story of philosophy in the world of Islam ... it replaces and improves on existing histories of Islamic philosophy. It is always tricky finding texts on philosophy as introductions to undergraduates. This fulfills that requirement extremely well. * Sajjad Rizvi, Intellectual History of the Islamicate World * bite-sized, well-indexed chapters on key philosophers, movements, and developments which took place in the Islamic world. * Daniel J. Levy, Jewish News * short, conversational chapters sparkling with new ideas, interpretations and a lively sense of humour. Adamson is so easy to learn, absorb and enjoy that all the info slips down with hardly a hiccup. * Steve Craggs, Northern Echo * From the first volume onwards, a repeated refrain has been philosophers arguing that being a philosopher is the best choice in life. These books are so engaging, instructive and diverting it might almost make you believe that is true. * Stuart Kelly, Scotland on Sunday * This is a well-written and interesting work ... the author deserves credit for engaging with such a complex subject and making it accessible to the public * Muhammad Khan, The Muslim News * This big book has something of everything, extending to Kabbalah and Sufism, and all the way to contemporary Islamic thought.... there is no doubt that Adamson is a relentlessly charming guide. Even experts will benefit from having this volume on a nearby shelf, in view of its comprehensiveness, and causal readers will benefit from its jargon-free prose and its useful supplemental features, such as maps and a list of further readings. * Oxford Studies in Medieval Philosophy * [Adamson's] account of philosophy in the Islamic world and the larger project of which it is a part establish a new paradigm for telling the story of philosophy. * Carlos Fraenkel, Los Angeles Review of Books *

From the first volume onwards, a repeated refrain has been philosophers arguing that being a philosopher is the best choice in life. These books are so engaging, instructive and diverting it might almost make you believe that is true. Stuart Kelly, Scotland on Sunday short, conversational chapters sparkling with new ideas, interpretations and a lively sense of humour. Adamson is so easy to learn, absorb and enjoy that all the info slips down with hardly a hiccup. Steve Craggs, Northern Echo bite-sized, well-indexed chapters on key philosophers, movements, and developments which took place in the Islamic world. Daniel J. Levy, Jewish News

From the first volume onwards, a repeated refrain has been philosophers arguing that being a philosopher is the best choice in life. These books are so engaging, instructive and diverting it might almost make you believe that is true. -- <em>Scotland on Sunday</em>

Author Information

Peter Adamson took his doctorate from the University of Notre Dame and first worked at King's College London. In 2012 he moved to the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, where he is Professor of Late Ancient and Arabic Philosophy. He has published widely in ancient and medieval philosophy, especially on Neoplatonism and on philosophy in the Islamic world.

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