Review

"the juxtapositions offered by this selection of texts amply display the vitality of Islamic philosophy in its most creative age, which effectively catalyzed the vitality of western medieval dialectical exchanges." Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews David B. Burrell, University of Notre Dame

"...His decision to focus on the texts which connect this area of study with contemporary philosophical interests will be highly welcomed by any scholar familiar with more recent trends in the textual and historical study of Arabic philosophy. The linguistic quality of the translations is excellent, which is the more remarkable as it lies in the nature of the metaphysical and epistemological texts that Khalidi has chosen for this anthology to be at a highly technical level...This very fine collection of translations of carefully selected important texts may be highly recommended as a textbook." -Heidrun Eichner, University of Halle: Journal of the American Oriental Society

Product Description

Philosophy in the Islamic world emerged in the ninth century and continued to flourish into the fourteenth century. It was strongly influenced by Greek thought, but Islamic philosophers also developed an original philosophical culture of their own, which had a considerable impact on the subsequent course of Western philosophy. This volume offers new translations of philosophical writings by Farabi, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Ghazali, Ibn Tufayl, and Ibn Rushd (Averroes). All of the texts presented here were very influential and invite comparison with later works in the Western tradition. They focus on metaphysics and epistemology but also contribute to broader debates concerning the conception of God, the nature of religion, the place of humanity in the universe, and the limits of human reason. A historical and philosophical introduction sets the writings in context and traces their preoccupations and their achievement.

Book Description

Philosophy in the Islamic world emerged in the ninth century and continued to flourish into the fourteenth century. It was strongly influenced by Greek thought, but Islamic philosophers also developed an original philosophical culture of their own, which had a considerable impact on the subsequent course of Western philosophy. This volume offers new translations of philosophical writings by Farabi, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Ghazali, Ibn Tufayl, and Ibn Rushd (Averroes). A historical and philosophical introduction sets the writings in context and traces their preoccupations and their achievement.

Muhammad Ali Khalidi is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the American University of Beirut.