History of philosophy 3: History of arabic Philosophy [ LFILO1282 ]

Introductory philosophy course.

The course aims to give the students a broad historical perspective of the main trends of philosophy (falsafa) as these were developed in the Arabic-Islamic cultural sphere. The course attempts to define what falsafa is, what are its origins, and what place it occupies in Arabic-Islamic culture. It gives an introduction to the most influential thinkers and to the questions that have nourished the debates of the falâsifa.

By the end of this course, the student should:

- know the nature and the place of philosophy as it developed in the Arabic-Islamic cultural sphere;

- know how to situate historically the thinkers and trends of Arabic-Islamic philosophy;

- know how to situate philosophy's relationship to other forms of thinking in this particular cultural sphere;

- know how to define the central issues addressed and what is at stake in them in the context of Arabic-Islamic philosophy;

- know how to use the tools that allow one to study in a general, or more in depth, manner Arabic-Islamic thinking in its philosophical aspect.

Oral exam, based on the subjects addressed in class as well as on the reading.

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This course aims to introduce to the major issues, figures, and texts of pre-modern philosophy in the cultural realm of Islam. It comprises of two main parts:
1. Introduction to the historical genesis and development of falsafa in Islam in its interaction with Kalam and speculative mysticism, from the translation movement to the rise of Ishraq.
2. Central issues and concepts of pre-modern philosophy in Islam (epistemology, God and the world, human condition and destiny, philosophers in/and society).

The Cambridge Companion to Arabic Philosophy. Ed. P. Adamson et R. Taylor, 2005.

 

Supporting material: The students are encouraged to read the following works, available at the ISP library: Fakhry, M. A History of Islamic Philosophy. New York: Columbia University Press, 1983 (2nd Edition, 1st edition: 1070). This book has been translated into French by M. Nasr, Histoire de la philosophie islamique. Paris: Editions du Cerf, 1989. Cruz Hernandez, M., Historia del pensamiento en el mundo islamico. Madrid: Alianza Editorial, 1996.