Philosophy in the Islamic World: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) 1st Edition

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.

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.

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.

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. Islamic Philosophy: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides)Meanwhile, Peter Adamson is due to publish Vol. 3 of his History of Philsophy Without Gaps later this year. It happens to be the volume that covers philosophy in the Islamic world during the formative stage of its development. As it is based on his fastidious and thorough podcast, it will almost certainly be a better and far more comprehensive entry point into the material than this good (but not great) overview.