Classical Arabic Philosophy: An Anthology of Sources

by Jon McGinnis (Editor), David C. Reisman (Editor)

This volume introduces the major classical Arabic philosophers through substantial selections from the key works (many of which appear in translation for the first time here) in each of the fields--including logic, philosophy of science, natural philosophy, metaphysics, ethics, and politics--to which they made significant contributions. An extensive Introduction situating the works within their historical, cultural, and philosophical contexts offers support to students approaching the subject for the first time, as well as to instructors with little or no formal training in Arabic thought. A glossary, select bibliography, and index are also included.

Genres: Philosophy, Islam, Nonfiction, Middle East, Religion

464 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2007

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

(2007 edition) I read the selections from Ibn Sina (Avicenna) as well as a bit of al-Farabi.

When I started researching the works of Ibn Sina to read for my Great Books book club, I quickly realized that English options were slim. I was delighted to find this anthology. It contains the Ibn Sina philosophical discussions that you want to read:

> the distinction between existence and essence
> his famous proof of the existence of God
> his famous flying man thought experiment
> the five inner senses of intellection
> logic, methodic experience, and certain knowledge
> causality
> theory of inclination (mayl)

And more. Note that there are none of his medial writings in this anthology.

A familiarity with Aristotle is really a necessity, because Ibn Sina jumps right in assuming the reader already knows Aristotelian theories. Knowledge of Neoplatonic (or al-Farabi's) theories on emanation is also a requirement.

Even with that background, I found parts of Ibn Sina fairly difficult to understand. Good thing for me that after his rumination, he tells you his conclusion. And as per usual, Peter Adamson's History of Philosophy podcast episodes on Avicenna were the life jackets that kept me from drowning in a sea of bewilderment.

Ibn Sina's exceptional intelligence is obvious (and he'll tell you anyway, just to make sure you don't miss it). I deeply admire the innovations he made in integrating Aristotelian and Neoplatonic thought with Abrahamic theology, arriving at a unified and comprehensive system of philosophy. I easily see why he is considered the most influential philosopher in the medieval Islamic world.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Ibn Sina's work on the soul, and his corporeal triad with elements of mutual exclusivity, to be interesting. He was very mathematical: perpetual form + only matter IF form (matter as the antecedent) + 3-D = BODY. But also, I know he was heavily Neoplatonic, so maybe it was not a math influence at all; though, simultaneously, he depended on Aristotle and his four causes in defining the body. So versatile.

Sina, Al-Ghazali, and Rushd all talk about causation in different ways. (My favorite philosophers out of the bunch.)

Sina has "The Necessary Existent," which states the necessary can only be so insofar as the totality of contingent beings and auto kath' auto, itself (this reminds me of Anselm).

Al-Ghazali authors "The Incoherence of the Philosophers," where he notes: God isn't omniscient to particulars (only knows universals), no bodily resurrection (only soul post-death), and the universe exists eternally.

In response, Ibn Rushd wrote "The Incoherence of the Incoherence," calling Ghazali a heretic for propagating occasionalism (which is sensible as Rushd is a determinist). So forth, he fights for causal necessity while Ghazali defends God and says he can do miracles whenever he pleases, and any attempt to rationalize God is an abomination in itself, which essentially denotes him a bad muslim, so they both get super sassy.

Al-Ghazali: If there's a necessary connection between fire and cotton, then you are denying God's ability to perform miracles.

Ibn Rushd: Only heretics deny miracles.

Really good book.

[Ethan Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for a philosophy book group, without prior knowledge of Arabic philosophy.

This is a useful though difficult anthology of major sources of Arabic philosophy. Most of the texts deal with the development of issues in Aristotelian philosophy, and I likely would have found much of the text impenetrable without a prior knowledge of Aristotle. With such a knowledge, however, the book contains some quite interesting discussions of difficult Aristotele influenced questions, such as the meaning of "possibility" and "necessity" and the status of the "active intellect" and its possible meaning for the soteriology of Islam (or indeed Christianity).

I was disappointed that the book contains very little ethical and political work. Its main focus is metaphysics.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Note to self: I've only read the writings required as readings for my Islamic Philosophy module, but it would be interesting to read the others at some point in the future!)

[Alaina Hedlund · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, I had to read this textbook for class and I didn’t understand one bit.

[Nilab]

assigned: [Kindi, "On the Intellect" p.16-18; Razi, "Doubts about Galen," Intro, p. 49-53; Farabi, "On the Intellect," p. 68-78; Ibn Sina, selections from "The Soul" p. 175-192]

[munazza · Rating 4 out of 5]

directed studies: the concept of imagining you have no sensory input or capacity yet are aware of yourself

[William Peace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book as a resource. My latest novel has, as its principle character, a professor of philosophy at a prestigious Egyptian university. I wanted to be able to refer to actual teachings of classical Arabic philosophy in his interactions with students and to use some of the philosophical discussions to help make some of the conclusions in the novel. In these two respects, the book was an excellent resource. I could have the professor discuss the teachings of a particular ancient philosopher with a student, quoting the philosopher by name, dates of birth and death, place of origin, philosophical interests, and exactly what he had written. I could also use what a philosopher had written to establish a point I wanted to make in the novel.
The book has a useful index of key words, both in English and Arabic. The text, however is largely in English. It also has, for the serious reader, clarifying footnotes, and an extensive bibliography. The preface will acquaint the reader with the methodology used by the authors in the selection and translation of the material. The introduction gives the background of the classical Arabic philosophy, which is – to a large extent – derived from Greek, particularly Aristolean, philosophy. What I found of particular interest was that the first prominent Arabic philosophers appeared barely two hundred years after the founding of Islam in 622 AD – well before their Western counterparts. While Greek philosophy provided a foundation, there were philosophical debates within Islam which also provided grist for the mill.
The book includes translations of selected, verbatum writings of a dozen philosophers who lived between the 9th and 13th centuries AD. Subjects of discussion for the Arabic philosophers included physics (motion, force, change, etc.); metaphysics (being, knowing, identity, time and space); theology (God, the soul, eternity). The language used by the Arabic philosophers can be quite turgid and difficult to follow. I suspect this was more the convention of the era than a fault in the translation. Also, the use of logical conventions, which appeared in the West later, were not available at the time to structure a clear proof of a theory.
This is not a book that one would want to read for pleasure unless one were a practicing philosopher. It could serve as a text book in the teaching of philosophy. And it is an excellent reference work.

[Sunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly dense reading!

[Jackson Cyril · Rating 4 out of 5]

إن شاء الله سوف أقرأ في اللغة العربية