Although Islamic philosophy represents one of the leading
philosophical traditions in the world, it has only recently begun
to receive the attention it deserves in the non-Islamic world. This
important text provides a concise and accessible introduction to
the major movements, thinkers and concepts within that tradition,
from the foundation of Islam to the present day.
Ever since the growth of Islam as a religious and political
movement, Muslim thinkers have sought to understand the theoretical
aspects of their faith by using philosophical concepts. Leaman
outlines this history and demonstrates that, although the
development of Islamic philosophy is closely linked with Islam
itself, its form is not essentially connected to any particular
religion, and its leading ideas and arguments are of general
philosophical significance. The author illustrates the importance
of Islamic thought within philosophy through the use of many modern
examples. He describes and contrasts the three main movements in
Islamic philosophy ? Peripatetic, Sufi and Illuminationist ? and
examines the Persian as well as the Arabic traditions. Wide
coverage is given to key aspects of Islamic philosophy, including
epistemology, ontology, politics, ethics and philosophy of
language, providing readers with a balanced view of the discipline.
The second edition has been thoroughly revised and updated
throughout, including the addition of two new chapters on recent
debates surrounding Islam’s need for an enlightenment, and on the
future of Islamic philosophy.
The new edition of Islamic Philosophy will continue to be
essential reading for students and scholars of the subject, as well
as anyone wanting to learn more about one of the most significant
and influential philosophical traditions in the world today.
Tabella dei contenuti
Preface to the Second Edition viii
Author’s Note and Abbreviations xi
Glossary xii
1 A SHORT HISTORY OF ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY 1
The growth of Islam 2
Neoplatonism 3
Major thinkers 5
2 MAIN CONTROVERSIES 13
What is Islamic philosophy? 13
Early reactions to Greek philosophy in Islamic culture: the Great Debate 22
Al-Ghazali and philosophy: the question of creation 24
The nature of time 26
Mulla Sadra on change 28
Iqbal on time 29
Ibn Rushd on time 31
What can God do? 33
Miracles and meaning 34
The afterlife 36
What can God know? 37
Philosophical accounts of religious concepts 39
How free is God? 40
Essence, existence and miracles 41
The meaning of words 45
Meaning and unity 46
bi-la kayfa 48
Ibn Taymiyya on talking about God 49
3 KNOWLEDGE 51
The notion of Islamic science 52
Science and rationality 55
The nature of knowledge 56
What is knowledge for? 58
Imagination 60
Ibn Sina on knowledge and the ‘oriental’ philosophy63
Sufi sm, knowledge and imagination 65
Knowledge by presence 67
4 MYSTICISM 71
Mysticism as a system 71
Being 74
Mysticism as a science 76
The perfect man 80
The deepening of prayer 82
Criticisms of Sufism 84
5 ONTOLOGY 86
Being and existence in Islamic philosophy 87
Ibn Rushd vs Ibn Sina on existence 87
Mulla Sadra vs al-Suhrawardi on existence 88
The equivocality of being 90
Mulla Sadra and mysticism 94
The imaginal realm 95
Different routes to one truth and the role of imagination 98
Allegory and meaning: the imaginal realm again 99
Prophecy and its psychological basis 101
Is being really the fi rst question in metaphysics? 104
6 ETHICS 106
Theological background: Mu_tazilites vs Ash_arites 106
Ethics and divine power 107
Al-Ghazali’s attack on objectivism in ethics 108
Trusting authority 112
The need for guidance 116
7 POLITICS 118
Plato vs Aristotle 118
The diversity of human beings 122
Islamic accounts of history 123
The notion of the ‘medieval’ 125
Liberalism vs Islam 129
The case of jihad 133
Modern political consequences 137
8 THE QUESTION OF TRANSMISSION 142
Philosophy and religion 142
The notion of cultural contact 146
The Andalusi connection 148
Getting back to basics 151
Falsafa and hikma: philosophy and wisdom 155
The concept of religious reason 156
The concept of inclusive reason 158
Robinson Crusoe and Hayy ibn Yaqzan 160
9 LANGUAGE 162
The case of Ibn Rushd 164
Ibn Rushd on meaning 165
Ibn Rushd and elitism 169
The Enlightenment Project 173
Ibn Rushd as a critic of mysticism 175
The implications for language 176
10 ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY TODAY 179
The West as decadent 182
Confronting tradition 183
Islamic exceptionalism 186
Did al-Ghazali destroy Islamic philosophy? 188
11 DOES ISLAM NEED AN ENLIGHTENMENT? 191
Jewish and Muslim reactions to modernity 195
Moses Mendelssohn and Muhammad _Abduh 196
Islamic exceptionalism again 197
The Enlightenment and theology 200
Christianity as the symbol of modernity 202
The need for an Enlightenment 204
The lack of radicalism in Islamic Qur’an commentary207
References and Bibliography 211
Guide to Further Reading 223
Index 225
Circa l’autore
Oliver Leaman is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kentucky.
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