Philosophy in the Islamic World: A Very Short Introduction
Product ID: 503324230
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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. Review: Excellent. - Adamson's podcasts and attempts to catalog and explicate the entire history of philosophy is incredibly fascinating and useful, and this is a wonderful, if brief addition to his work. It is, however, a whirlwind tour of Philosophy in the Islamic World including Arab Christian and diaspora Jewish philosophers. Building on both the disputes in early Arabic theology as well as building on Aristotle, one sees medieval arabic philosophy develop and somewhat predate a lot of the later medieval and early modern debates in Christian philosophy as well as being a continuation of classical philosophy. Adamson does a good job of showing how tensions between syncretic, mystical, and rationalists threads really color Islamic and Arab philosophy as well as trying to work through various forms of the unity of God and even intellect. The variety of names can be overwhelming given some of the lack of references for later Islamic philosophers, particularly once Ottoman and Safavid's become dominant. An excellent introduction that only suffers from perhaps too much information in too small a book. Review: Good book - Font size small but book is great reading.It informative
| Best Sellers Rank | #4,506 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #5 in Religious Philosophy #5 in History of Religion #13 in Theology |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 49 Reviews |
C**N
Excellent.
Adamson's podcasts and attempts to catalog and explicate the entire history of philosophy is incredibly fascinating and useful, and this is a wonderful, if brief addition to his work. It is, however, a whirlwind tour of Philosophy in the Islamic World including Arab Christian and diaspora Jewish philosophers. Building on both the disputes in early Arabic theology as well as building on Aristotle, one sees medieval arabic philosophy develop and somewhat predate a lot of the later medieval and early modern debates in Christian philosophy as well as being a continuation of classical philosophy. Adamson does a good job of showing how tensions between syncretic, mystical, and rationalists threads really color Islamic and Arab philosophy as well as trying to work through various forms of the unity of God and even intellect. The variety of names can be overwhelming given some of the lack of references for later Islamic philosophers, particularly once Ottoman and Safavid's become dominant. An excellent introduction that only suffers from perhaps too much information in too small a book.
A**M
Good book
Font size small but book is great reading.It informative
S**S
Actually discusses philoso
Iโve read longer books on Islamic philosophy that had much less discussion of real philosophical questions than this little book. It also contextualizes Islamic philosophy pretty well with regard to Greek, Christian and Jewish philosophy.
A**A
Very interesting book
Very enjoyable read, full of extremely interesting facts one has probably never heard of. Quite revealing (for the non-expert audience) regarding the networks and reciprocal influences between different schools of thought. I really learned a lot, or maybe once again, discovered how little I know about so many areas of knowledge. I highly recommend it!
S**M
Highly recommended
A highly readable account by an authority in the field.
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