Philosophy in the Islamic World: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) 1st Edition
by Peter Adamson (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 41 ratings
ISBN-13: 978-0199683673
ISBN-10: 0199683670Why is ISBN important?
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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.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"[Adamson's] contribution to the Very Short Introductions series allows readers of varying degrees of expertise to access a wide breadth of ideas and thinkers of the Islamic world with relative ease." -- Nora Jacobsen Ben Hammed, Reading Religion
About the Author
Peter Adamson is Professor of Late Ancient and Arabic Philosophy at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. In 2014, he was awarded the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Award for Translation, with Peter E. Pormann for The Philosophical Works of al-KindI
(OUP, 2012). He has published widely in ancient and medieval philosophy as well as hosting the popular History of Philosophy podcast, whose episodes are appearing as a series of books with OUP, entitled A History of Philosophy without any Gaps.
Product details
Publisher : Oxford University Press; 1st edition (November 1, 2015)
Language : English
Paperback : 144 pages
ISBN-10 : 0199683670
ISBN-13 : 978-0199683673
Item Weight : 4.8 ounces
Dimensions : 6.8 x 0.4 x 4.2 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #694,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#99 in Islam (Books)
#426 in Quran
#824 in History of Philosophy
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4.5 out of 5 stars 41 ratings
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Top reviews from the United States
Teig Schneider
4.0 out of 5 stars In Pursuit of Greater UnderstandingReviewed in the United States on October 3, 2017
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This is a very nice overview of Islamic Philosophy. However, the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that there is just so much information to pack into approximately 120 pages that one can "feel" the pressure Dr. Adamson had to minimize such a grand project into an unfitting space. The good news is that this is basically a slimmed down version of a much larger book by the same author (over 500 pgs) to which I look forward to reading later. As a student of philosophy, both at the university and on my own for over 15 years, it is a pleasure and a moment of awakening to find a gem such as this to introduce the western world (and a mostly western trained mind) to an enormous philosophical tradition that has contributed so much to formal structures of thought on such subjects as God, ethics and society. One of the greatest mental illusions in thought is the overarching power of set and steadfast Categories. We need such a mental construction to help acquaint ourselves with the world, but the breaking about of events and objects is simply an aspect of human epistemology, not an ontological truth. May we forever train our minds for an ever greater understanding of reality, yet never confuse our understanding of that reality, for reality itself.
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stephen b. lewis
5.0 out of 5 stars Actually discusses philosoReviewed in the United States on August 28, 2021
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I’ve 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.
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C. Derick VarnTop Contributor: Graphic Novels
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent.Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2015
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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.
6 people found this helpful
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Paul
4.0 out of 5 stars A Fine But Highly Condensed IntroReviewed in the United States on April 2, 2016
Very few western scholars are as well equipped as Peter Adamson to expound the philosophy and theology that emerged and thrived in the Islamic World beginning in the 8th century. He is a renowned scholar of ancient and Arabic philosophy with a joint appointment at Kings College, England and the University of Munich. His highly regarded podcast, which is also the basis for a multi-volume history of philosophy in progress, is encyclopedic in scope, tracing the history of philosophy from the Presocratics to the present. He is especially especially strong on Islam's Golden Age during which Greek and Hellenistic philosophy was translated into Arabic and Persian, and brilliant thinkers like Al-Farrabi and Avicenna thrived. However, perhaps because of his extremely detailed knowledge in this area, he may not be the perfect candidate for compressing the philosophy of the Islamic World down to a slim paperback.To be sure, his erudition shows through, and there is much to be learned here, but at times there is more information than space to unfold it in a measured and palatable fashion.
The first chapter, aptly entitled, A Whirlwind Historical Tour, is a highly condensed historical overview of the topic. It is, I think, the weakest chapter due to an excess of undefined terms, philosophical movements and a barrage of names unlikely to mean much to a newcomer. At 30 pages (out of a total 144pp) it does detract slightly from an otherwise fine book.Thankfully, the remaining chapters are far more satisfying as Adamson carefully unpacks some of the most important doctrines and ideas of the great philosophers, theologians and mystics of the Islamic World . If you do read the book, it might be a good idea to re-read the "Whirlwind Tour" (Ch. 1) again after reading the more substantive chapters. It will probably make more sense the second time.
There aren't a lot of slim paperbacks covering this material, so if you want to learn about these diverse and centuries-spanning philosophical developments without a text-book and accompanying reader, this may be as good a place as any to start. An annotated bibliography for further reading would have been welcome, but the book does boast several helpful maps in the beginning and a timeline with parallel developments in politics and philosophy at the end. Once you get past chapter one, the exposition is clear and the material is organized thematically (e.g. Reason and Revelation, God and Being, Eternity, Knowledge etc.). He covers some of the contributions of several key philosophers in a skillful and concise way, including Al-Khindi, al-Farrabi, Avicenna, Al-Ghazali, Ibn Khaldun and Mulla Sadra. He also explains the religious and theological views of the Mutazillites (who were often associated with the early philosophers) and the Asharites who reacted against what they saw as an overvaluation of Reason by philosophers who, they thought, severely downplayed the role of Revelation). He explains how the early philosophers' ideas were incorporated into later mystical (largely Sufi) works. Finally, in a very condensed chapter on ethics and politics, he discusses the contributions of both ancient and modern thinkers and ideas. As far as the modern period goes, he makes reference to such late 19th and early 20th C Islamic Modernists as al-Afghani, Muhammad Abduh and Muhammad Iqbal-- important reformers who were drawn to modern Western science and philosophy incorporating them selectively into their vision of Islam in the modern world. There is passing mention of Ayatollah Khomeini and the 1979 Revolution in Iran. Adamson also discusses the recently deceased Moroccan feminist Fatima Mernissi, author of Beyond the Veil. Interestingly he does not mention, even in passing, Sayyed Qubt or any other Islamists that have influenced violent extremists.
The only other concise intro-level book of this kind that I know is Islamic Philosophy by Majid Fakhry, another fine scholar. That book is part of the "Beginners' Guides Series" issued by OneWorld press. At 200 pp, it covers roughly the same thinkers and movements from 8th to 20th century.It might be worth looking at a sample/preview on Amazon and comparing it with the Adamson sample. They are both good introductions, and the difference is probably more a matter of taste than anything else.
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Bahram Yousefian
5.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent introduction to philosophy in the Islamic worldReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2015
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This is an excellent introduction to philosophy in the Islamic world. It covers all the key issues in theology, epistemology, metaphysics and ethics and political philosophy and has a truly impressive breadth for such a short book. It is written in a clear and lucid style which Adamson has honed over the years and can be seen in his very helpful podcast on the history of philosophy with no gaps. He even draws attention to the writings of some Islamic theologians to questions of animal welfare, which very few have paid attention to in the scholarly literature, let alone the mainstream coverage of Islam. The only issue I have are the diacritic marks, which do not always display correctly on the Kindle edition for iPad and iPhone. Nevertheless, if these are rectified, I can only recommend the book as the ideal place for someone coming to the history of philosophy in the Islamic tradition for the first time.
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Arantxa
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting bookReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2019
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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!
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mo.problemo
4.0 out of 5 stars Great introductionReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 26, 2021
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A great introduction for people who have no background in this topic. Peter's podcast is also a great resource to go along with the book and helps to explain some of the more complicated concepts.
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sam
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommendedReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 3, 2016
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A highly readable account by an authority in the field.
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Zara
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom on August 7, 2017
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Brilliant!!!
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===
Philosophy in the Islamic World: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
by Peter S. Adamson
3.89 · Rating details · 102 ratings · 17 reviews
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. (less)
Write a review
Daniel Wright
Oct 01, 2016Daniel Wright rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: philosophy, vsi, history, thought-history, other-history, religion, islam, philosophy-text
Trying to shelve this book by Dewey Decimal poses a peculiar challenge, largely because of that system's anachronism. Most libraries seem to put this topic under 297 - Islam, but this is incorrect. Firstly, this is philosophy, not religion, and secondly, many philosophers in the Islamic world have not even been Muslims - perhaps Maimonides is the most famous example. Clearly it most go under philosophy, but where? It is neither about philosophy generally, nor about a specific area of philosophy (ethics, metaphysics etc.), nor can it be put under 190 - Modern Western philosophy. This leaves only 181 - Eastern philosophy as in any way plausible, but philosophy in the Islamic world historically has been no more Eastern than Western - it was enormously influenced by the Greeks, especially Aristotle, and was itself enormously influential on the European middle ages and what followed (through people like Averroes and Avicenna). 181 it is, then, until someone comes up with a better one and I can find the time to reorganise everything accordingly.
Chapter 1: A historical whirlwind tour
Chapter 2: Reason and revelation
Chapter 3: God and being
Chapter 4: Eternity
Chapter 5: Knowledge
Chapter 6: Ethics and politics (less)
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C. Varn
Dec 13, 2015C. Varn rated it it was amazing
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. (less)
flag5 likes · Like · comment · see review
Hamdanil
Jun 26, 2016Hamdanil rated it it was amazing
Shelves: islamic-history, philosophy, religion
Concise and very accessible introduction to the topic. Covers wide range of issues and features prominent philosophers from classical to modern times. The author is very knowledgeable and respectful of the Islamic philosophers, and good at discussing the issues in an readable and entertaining, but also insightful manner.
flag5 likes · Like · see review
یاسر میردامادی
Dec 17, 2016یاسر میردامادی rated it it was amazing
A highly accessible, and fully informative introduction to Muslim philosophies accompanied with a comparative analysis.
flag8 likes · Like · comment · see review
লোচন
Dec 19, 2020লোচন rated it liked it
অনেক আশা নিয়া বসছিলাম। লেখক যে আমারে উটপাখির ডিম দেখায়া কোয়েল পাখির ডিম খাওয়াবে, তা কল্পনা করি নাই। এই বইটা ট্যালট্যালা সবজি খিচুড়ি হয়া গেছে, যাতে হলুদ বেশি, আলুগুলা শক্ত, মসল্লা ডাইল কিসসু মিশ খায় নাই, এবং প্রথম নলা মুখে দিতেই এলাচে কামড় পড়ছে।
"এ ভেরি শর্ট ইন্ট্রোডাকশন" সিরিজের অন্যতম দুর্বল বই বলবো আমি এইটারে। হতাশ। তিন দিসি তাও, কারণ ভিত্রে ইসলামি দর্শনের টাইমলাইন যেটা ইনক্লুড করছে সেইটা চমৎকার। বারবার পাঠের দাবি রাখে।
তাই, পাঁচে তিন। (less)
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Thomas
Jan 16, 2017Thomas rated it liked it
Shelves: religion, philosophy
This introduction is not only very short, it is also highly distilled. (Maybe that's an inept descriptor... let's say instead, very condensed.) Adamson covers a lot of ground and probably leaves a lot out, but for the complete neophyte (that's me) it's a mile wide and an inch thick. I need to read it again, or better yet, pick up Adamson's Philosophy in the Islamic World -- he is a specialist in this area and it shows. Some disciplines don't benefit from the VSI approach. It's like learning how a sport is played by watching the highlight reel on ESPN. (less)
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P
Nov 24, 2015P rated it it was ok
Adamson (of Without Any Gaps fame) focuses primarily on the foundational period of philosophy in Islamicate regions. While interesting, the concepts in each field – reason contra revelation, metaphysics, the nature of time, epistemology – are easily grasped by anyone even slightly familiar with ancient and medieval Western philosophy. At times I felt as if we could just change proper nouns and see the same arguments between major Western theological figures (Mulla Sadra’s formulation of an exist ...more
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Joe
Jan 04, 2021Joe rated it really liked it
Adamson loves his subject, and that enthusiasm really comes through in this book, a tour at breakneck speed of nearly a millennium and a half of philosophical history in little over a hundred pages. I really liked his broad conception of philosophy; while many scholars will only recognise the falāsifa, ‘pure’ philosophers, those concerned with the commenting on and discussion of Greek texts and ideas, as deserving of the label, Adamson stresses, surely correctly, how much of philosophical interest is to be found in the fields of Islamic theology, law, qur’anic interpretation, and so on. The book’s biggest problem is unavoidable given its format: because it’s so very short, the material is extremely condensed, meaning that it’s sometimes quite hard going, and of course that Adamson is often unable to give anything but a cursory presentation of the issues he raises. (less)
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Rusty del Norte
Jan 13, 2019Rusty del Norte rated it really liked it
Peter Adamson does a good job in introducing Philosophy in the Islamic World. Many philosophers from different eras are mentioned, including AL-Ghazali, Al-Farabi, Al-Razi, and of course Al-ibn Rushd. Adamson takes you through the different schools of though with the Mutazilites and the Asharites during the Islamic Golden Age. And don't forget the Peripatetic Baghdad school of philosophy.
If you are into Plato and his view of the 3-part soul, Galen, or possibly the philosopher Miskawayh, then this would be a good read. He is a concise and readable philosophy author. Take a gander. (less)
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Christopher
Jun 12, 2018Christopher rated it liked it
Shelves: philosophy, religion
As usual with these books this is a lot of very dense and complex information presented in as simple a form as possible. The author did an okay job with this, better than a lot of the books in the series, but it functions as a primer. If you aren't willing to go into the further reading and investigate the subject further than you're going to have very little understanding of the subject from this book alone. (less)
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Musab Hayatli
Mar 31, 2020Musab Hayatli rated it really liked it
Neat introduction to Philosophy in the Islamic world, and a commended effort at refuting the often-shared misconception that somehow there is not much to talk about in terms of philosophy in the Islamic world post 13th century.
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Sameer Shaikh
Jul 21, 2019Sameer Shaikh rated it it was amazing
Very good primer on Islamic philosophy during the golden age of Islam
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Werevrock
May 26, 2021Werevrock rated it liked it
I prefer chronologic approach to thematic one.
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Rizowana
Dec 29, 2020Rizowana rated it really liked it
Review will be posted soon.
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Safiyya
Jun 03, 2020Safiyya rated it really liked it · review of another edition
This was a good, dispassionate introduction to philosophy in the Islamic empires, which was exactly what I was looking for. I will note that the content was broad and, at times, rather dense.
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mo.problemo
Aug 31, 2019mo.problemo rated it really liked it
A great introduction for people who have no background in this topic. Peter's podcast is also a great resource to go along with the book and helps to explain some of the more complicated concepts. (less)
flagLike · comment · see review
Aazir
Jun 15, 2020Aazir rated it it was amazing
Shelves: 2020
As a graduate philosophy student and a life long lover of philosophy, I consider myself well-read on the subject. However, I realized one day that I had never come across works of Arabic or Islamic philosophy. I'd heard offhand about the Islamic golden age and how important it was to global intellectual history, but I didn't know the details.
I was very impressed by this short introduction as it filled in many gaps for me and gave me a basic understanding of Islamic philosophy and how it flows from the ancient Greek tradition. This book encouraged me to read more source texts in this tradition.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a great understanding of the history of thought as a whole - not just western thought. (less)
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