Sunday, July 1, 2018

Philosophy in the Islamic World

Philosophy in the Islamic World: A Very Short Introduction by Peter Adamson, 133 pages

Adamson notes in his introduction that the reason for his title is that Christian, Jewish and Islamic thinker contributed to philosophy in the Islamic world which has at times included Spain.

Per the name of the book, this book isn't very deep and while it is supposed to cover up to current time it is mostly focused on ancient times. Islamic philosophy began around the 8th century AD and was heavily influenced by Greek philosophy and science.

Adamson starts by talking about the most important period. He gives an overview of significant philosophers along with the year they died and important ideas. Further chapters focus on specific subjects that were debated.

It is notable that Islamic philosophy, in contrast with Latin Christendom, doesn't distinguish between theology and philosophy. Some Islamic philosophers saw limits to reason while others didn't.

Some Islamic philosophers believed that God created the world and then ceded control while others think that God still controls the world and sometimes chooses to change it. As with some Christian philosophers, some Islamic philosophers attempted to use logic to prove there is a God (a creator).

Other notable subjects Islamic philosophers focused on include eternity, knowledge, ethics and politics.

Even though this book isn't long there is a lot crammed into the pages. I felt it was a good overview and would like to read about some of the subjects further at some point in the future.

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