The Cambridge Companion to Arabic Philosophy (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy)

Book Description

Representing one of the great traditions of Western philosophy, philosophy written in Arabic and in the Islamic world was inspired by Greek philosophical works and the indigenous ideas of Islamic theology. This collection of essays, by some of the leading scholars in Arabic philosophy, provides an introduction to the field by way of chapters devoted to individual thinkers (such as al-Farabi, Avicenna and Averroes) or groups, especially during the 'classical' period from the ninth to the twelfth centuries.

Customer Reviews:

One of the great philosophical traditions.......2005-09-10

It is a little known fact in the history of philosophy and ideas that many of the writings and principles that we have and consider as standard 'Western' products came to us through the Arabic traditions. In some cases, this was preservation of earlier materials (Aristotle is but the most famous example of this), but in others, the original product of the Arabic philosophers influenced mathematics, science, art, theology, and philosophy in the West in ways still being discovered.

This volume, edited by Peter Adamson and Richard Taylor, is an important contribution to re-establishing this connection and recovering lesser known traditions, as well as holding up the history of Arabic philosophy in its own right. The tradition of Arabic philosophy is almost as old as Islam itself, which established in its early days bright centres of learning and international communications that inspired a blossoming of ecumenical philosophical traditions cutting across Christian, Jewish and Muslim lines.

During the formative stage, the figure of Avicenna looms large, with his synthesis of falsafa (philosophy both Aristotelian and Neoplatonic) and kalam (Islamic doctrinal theology). The classical age of Arabic philosophy, in the ninth to twelfth centuries C.E., took advantage of their Aristotelian inheritance, preserved and commented upon by Averroes (Ibn Rushd), an Andalusian philosopher (think Spain). Other strands of thought, both more 'practical' and more mystical, are explored by the authors. Some chapters concentrate on particular time periods or historic figures, and others look more generally at topics in philosophy (logic, ethics, metaphysics, etc.) across the broader range of Islamic history.

There are also chapters on the relationship of Islamic philosophy with Jewish philosophy, with the translation (linguistic, political, theological and philosophical) into Latin, and modern trends in Islamic thought. Contributor Steven Harvey writes, 'It is not a coincidence that philosophy emerges in Islam and Judaism in the same period and in the same lands.' Many of the Jewish communities of the time were in Muslim lands; there was a large Jewish community still in Baghdad, one in Alexandria, and a growing community in Muslim-ruled Spain. Latin rulers in Europe occasionally encouraged multi-cultural connections, and in many places and times Arabic rather than Latin or Greek was the preferred 'intellectual' language, described by Charles Burnett. Finally, Hossein Ziai explores Arabic and Persian trends into philosophical development, avoiding such terms as 'mystical', 'theosophical', and 'Oriental'. He writes, 'From the sixteenth century to the present, Islamic philosophy has been dominated by a scholastic tradition that continues in its interpretation of the ideals of classical Arabic philosophy,a nd leads to the final acceptance of philosophy by religion.' Ziai writes that far from being an exclusively mystical or theologically oriented task, there is much 'genuine philosophy' being done in the tradition today.

As broad a text as this is, it is in fact just a taste of the larger body of work in Arabic philosophy. Generous bibliographic and end-notation information is provided for further research, both generally and topic-specific. There is a useful index, although one might be a bit confused at time until getting accustomed to the transliteration (theirs is a fairly comprehensible style, but still takes some adjustment to those used to other forms - they do make the concession to Western readers and leave the names of Avicenna and Averroes in their more familiar forms).

This is a fascinating text, good for the student or scholar of philosophy and the history of ideas.

Revising Culture, Reinventing Peace: The Influence of Edward W. Said

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Nauseating
Perspectives on Orientalism

Revising Culture, Reinventing Peace: The Influence of Edward W. Said

Manufacturer: Interlink Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1566563577

Book Description

Throughout the last quarter of the twentieth century, Columbia University professor Edward W. Said's work has been recognized as a major influence on literature, cultural studies, and Palestinian nationalism. President of the Modern Language Association, pianist, and confidant to world leaders, he is the author of seventeen books, including the seminal Orientalism, which has shaped and reshaped academic disciplines and political movements, spanning continents and linking formerly disparate intellectual pursuits.

Customer Reviews:

Nauseating.......2005-12-09

Well, I read the first six Harry Potter books. And Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters sure do seem scary. So do, as Ibn Warraq characterizes them, Edward Said and the Saidists. But there is a difference. Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters are fictional characters. Ed Said was real, and the Saidists are real people. What they write is typically fiction. But they are real people with real motives for what they do.

I'm not sure why the Saidists who contributed to this book perpetrated these articles. It would be nice to know, of course. After all, I want to be sure that I never do anything remotely resembling this, and so it would be good to know just what these folks were thinking.

Most people would agree that human beings ought to have a right to buy land and live on it. Obviously, those who applaud Said can't really agree, given their implict approval of Said's racist opposition to human rights for Levantine Jews. But I found nothing in this book that was useful in explaining what it was they really wanted or why.

The book starts out with Richard Falk who says that Ed Said made "indispensable contributions" to the life of independent inquiry. And he insists on honoring Said. Well, I think that of all the people who have ever had anything to do with academia, Ed Said is the least worthy of being honored. In my opinion, not even Trofim Lysenko did as much damage to the academic community as did Said.

As Ibn Warraq has shown in his article, "Edward Said and the Saidists," while "Orientalism" (an infamous book by Said) "is worthless as intellectual history," it has inhibited research on the Orient by Western scholars. I agree with Warraq that Said's work "has made the goal of modernization of the Middle Eastern societies that much more difficult." In my opinion, Said's works are riddled with outrageous ad hoc untruths. In fact, I suspect that Said has more copies of untruths in print than any other human in history. These untruths are there to support otherwise hopeless arguments for denying Levantine Jews the rights of life, liberty, property, and refuge.

Later in the book, Marc Ellis has a thirty-five page article. Typical of the way he misrepresents reality is his straw-man claim that folks such as Elie Wiesel believe that Jews "are incapable of hate." However, that's absurd. Wiesel has indeed discussed the fact that Jews have rarely resorted to cruelty. But that in no way means that Jews are incapable of hate, or that Wiesel believes them to be so. Most humans, including most Jews, are capable of hate. One example is in Yaacov Lozowick's book, "Right to Exist." Lozowick cites a young Jewish girl who managed to write in her diary in 1941 that she knew "there are also good Germans. They should be killed last." Now, that was truly nasty of her. Still, hate alone does not translate into evil acts. Such acts require both motive and opportunity. Lozowick points out that there were some opportunities after World War Two, but these were rarely taken advantage of. And that supports what Wiesel says, not what Ellis wants us to believe. I would add that Jews have had a long history and tradition of avoiding violence, in part because for centuries, there were no Jewish armies (often, Jews were even denied the right to possess weapons). And that even in modern times, Jews have been strongly motivated to avoid unnecessary violence. Yes, Jews have defended themselves when attacked. But that is very different from gratuitous oppression of one's neighbors.

Naseer Aruri has an article in which he asks whether "Zionism is a movement of national plundering or a movement of a persecuted people acting according to a humane ethic, seeking compromise and peace." Obviously it is the latter, and it is sickening to see him imply that it is the former.

John Sigler also has an article, where he quotes Said as saying that "a national movement whose provenance and ideas were European took a land away from a non-European people settled there for centuries." This is a major assault on both facts and logic. The national movement was of the Jewish people. The capital of these people was already in Jerusalem. There were very few Jews in the lightly-populated Levant when modern Zionism began, because of the discrimination against them. But once Jews became emancipated, they did start moving to the Levant in larger numbers. Yes, many came from Europe. But they did not take land away from a non-European people. They bought land at high prices, and by doing so attracted more non-Jews to the region, and improved human rights there to boot!

Justus Reid Weiner wrote a relatively mild article about Said in Commentary in 1999, in which he exposed a few of Said's lies about his personal history. I think this article may have given some people the false impression that the worst that can be said about Said is that he is alleged to have falsified a few minor things. And sure enough, there is a disgusting article by Muhammed Shuraydi that tries to defend Said even on this!

My advice is to avoid this book.

Perspectives on Orientalism.......2002-05-08

This is an interesting series of essays on the work of Edward Said, with many perspectives on the issues of Orientalism, and the reactions to it, both in the West and in the Arab world. The many distortions and attacks of Said's work are reviewed and clarified, as the question of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict looms in the background. Steady as she goes.

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A Basic Introduction

Islamic Medicine (Islamic Surveys ; 11)
Manfred Ullman
Manufacturer: Edinburgh University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0852243251

Book Description

This highly readable survey describes the development of Islamic medicine and its influence on Western medical thought. It explains the main features of Islamic medicine: its system of human physiology; its ideas about the nature of disease; its rules for diet and the use of drugs; and its relationship with astrology and the occult.

Customer Reviews:

A Basic Introduction.......2001-01-08

In this short book (only 114 pages of text, with a few illustrations) Manfred Ullmann, one of the world's leading experts on the scientific literature of the Arabic-speaking world in the medieval period, offers an introduction to Arabic-language writings about medicine. After a short discussion of pre-Islamic medical practices in the Arabian peninsula, Ullmann focuses on the impact of the translation of Greek medical writings into Arabic, sometimes directly from Greek, sometimes via Syriac or Persian intermediaries. He then proceeds to treat physiology, anatomy, pathology, transmission of diseases and the plague, dietetics and pharmacology, and the relation between medicine and magic in a few short chapters. His chief guide is *Al-Kitab al-Malaki* of Majusi, who died between 982 and 995.

It must have been a despairing task to write this book. The writings left behind by medieval Arab physicians form an enormous corpus, much of which has been printed in atrocious, unreliable editions, or remains only in manuscript. In choosing Majusi as his guide, Ullmann reduced the task to manageable proportions. But he thereby also sacrificed much. Majusi depended heavily on the works of Galen, and aimed to produce a comprehensive handbook; he thus represents the chief, purely "scientific" branch of Islamic medicine. Competing traditions receive short shrift, and there is virtually nothing about the actual practice of medicine (only a handful of cases histories -- the feature that makes the Hippokratic *Epidemics* still such compelling reading today -- appear in connection with treatment of the plague) or about medicine in its social and cultural context. These omissions result also in part from Ullmann's slightly old-fashioned approach, evident again in his comparisons of medieval medical knowledge with our own. Nor does Ullmann have much to say about the contribution of Persian, Egyptian, or Indian medical traditions and practices to Islamic medicine.

Book Description

Well-documented study of the mutual influence of Arabic and Western worlds during the Middle Ages traces the transmission of Greek philosophy and science to the Islamic cultures. A fascinating portrait of medieval Muslim thought, it illustrates commonalities with Judaic and Christian teachings as well as points of divergence.

Aristotle's Meteorology and Its Reception in the Arab World: With an Edition and Translation of Ibn Suwar's Treatise on Meteorological Phenomena and Ibn ... (Aristoteles Semitico-Latinus, V. 10)

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Aristotle's Meteorology and Its Reception in the Arab World: With an Edition and Translation of Ibn Suwar's Treatise on Meteorological Phenomena and Ibn ... (Aristoteles Semitico-Latinus, V. 10)
Paul Lettinck , Abu Al-Khayr Al-Hasan Ibn Suwar Ibn Al-Khammar , and Avempace
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 9004109331

Crosscurrents in the Middle East;: A primer for the general reader, including a history of the region, a survey of recent developments, an appraisal of ... responsibility and the prospects for peace,

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Crosscurrents in the Middle East;: A primer for the general reader, including a history of the region, a survey of recent developments, an appraisal of ... responsibility and the prospects for peace,
James P Warburg
Manufacturer: Gollancz
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

History of Islamic Sicily (Islamic Surveys)

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Sadly little known book.

History of Islamic Sicily (Islamic Surveys)
Aziz Ahmad
Manufacturer: Columbia Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0852242743

Customer Reviews:

Sadly little known book........2007-05-04

Exellent book published by the Edinburgh University Press, such a pity it seems to have fallen out of print. A well structured study beginning with the conquest of Sicily by the Muslims, through their settlement, to their eventual conquest and conversion/expulsion from the island. Also covered in the book is a study of the influence of Islam on Sicilian culture long after Muslims had been expelled from the Island.

An exellent book, short but covers all aspects of Islamic Sicily well.

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The Jew, the Gypsy, and El Islam
Sir Richard Francis Burton
Manufacturer: Adamant Media Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History | Historical Reproductions | Formats | Books
ASIN: 1402117116
Release Date: 2003-07-03

Product Description

With a preface by W. H. Wilkins. This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1898 edition by Hutchinson & Co., London.

Philosophies of Music in Medieval Islam (Brill's Studies in Intellectual History)

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not uninteresting, but...

Philosophies of Music in Medieval Islam (Brill's Studies in Intellectual History)
Fadlou Shehadi
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 9004101284

Book Description

This surveys the philosophies of music of the most important thinkers in Islam between the 9th and the 15th centuries A.D. It covers topics ranging from the physics and aesthetics of sound, the nature of music, its place in the total scheme of things and in human life, the relation between music, astronomy, astrology and meteorology, the relation between music and human feelings character and behaviour, to the question of whether a good Muslim should be allowed to listen to music at all, and if so, to which type. The book traces the influence of Greek, in particular Pythagorean and Aristoxenian, thinking in Islam on this subject, and aims to provide a philosophically coherent statement of thinking of the Islamic writers concerned, a clarification of their central arguments, as well as a critical evaluation of their line of thought. The author introduces a wide range of material from manuscript sources, including much that has not been published before.

Customer Reviews:

not uninteresting, but..........2007-01-15

this is a survey of various medieval islamic thinkers' attitudes about music. the author traces greek ideas as they were adapted into islamic thought, and then includes a section about various attitudes about the question of the suitability of listening to music at all(!)

while the book is not an uninteresting survey of material it would be hard to find elsewhere in english, I must say I don't think I have EVER read a book with so many silly spelling errors, syntax errors, and layout errors. the huge number of stupid errors makes you mistrust the actual information, which may or may not be unfair to the author, but is really a shocking failure on the part of the publisher.

how do the publishers get away with this level of incompetence??!!?!

Amazon.com

Scores of bird species are in decline throughout North America. But the extent of that decline, writes zoologist Robert Askins, is unknown. Newspapers, for instance, report one day that songbird species are widely threatened, another day that songbirds seem to be thriving, offering conflicting views that, Askins hints, seem not to take into account the phenomena of migration and the very real destruction of the natural world.

Drawing on the methods of landscape ecology, Askins looks at ways in which to measure the health of individual habitats. He pays special attention to seemingly habitat-threatening events such as fire and flood, which generations of conservation managers and foresters have attempted to suppress, but that are important mechanisms in maintaining the balance of nature. He also revisits principles that are becoming better understood--among them the fact that some species, such as the controversial spotted owl and the less-publicized upland sandpiper, require large areas of undisturbed habitat in order to survive. Those large areas are a commodity that development is making ever more rare, and, Askins points out, most declining bird species are associated with what he calls "lost landscapes," once-plentiful habitats that have been erased or transformed. Only through a vigorous program of habitat restoration and conservation can North America's birds--and other wildlife species--be protected from further ruin. Askins's book is an eye-opening and instructive work of scientific inquiry. --Gregory McNamee

Customer Reviews:

Great review of restoration ecology.......2002-01-25

This book addresses a good variety of topics pertaining to avian ecology and conservation. Some chapters are geared towards a particular region, while other chapters focus on more general restoration and conservation, yet all are interesting and well written. Of course you can take this information about bird habitat conservation and apply it to many other aspects of wildlife biology. I recommend this book for anyone interested in research for the protection of our natural environment, and the wildlife that depends upon it.

Lessons in Avian Ecology for All Audiences.......2000-06-20

There are few books that would rank as truely significant for North American ornithology, particularly integrating general ecological theory using birds as the mechanism for examples. Dr. Askins' broad paintbrush narrative leads the reader across North American landscapes focusing on conservation issues threatening migratory and resident bird species. With few exceptions all the major continental biological communities are addressed.

What makes this treatise so inviting is the fact it is so well written that the weekend birder with casual interest in conservation issues is not overwhelmed with its technical content. Specifically, the myriad of research data is unencumbered by citations and given in a conversational manner. On the other hand, professionals, graduate students and land-managers could use this book in nearly a text-like manner due to exhaustive analyses, study summaries, and literature review it represents. The chapter notes, references, and index are alone worth the asking price.

The subtitle: "... Lessons from Landscape Ecology" captures the major tenant of the book. As an example, Chapter 5 "Deep Forest Birds and Hostile Edges" covers: (1) spot-mapping (a method that researchers use for monitoring bird populations including density estimates); (2) population sources and sinks; (3) the history leading to the realization that (eastern) forest birds (mostly Neotropical migrants) were rapidly declining and not recovering; and (4) differences between natural forest mosaics (structure) and human-created habitat fragmentation. Discussion of fragmentation continues with edge effect that increases predation, decreases insect food resources, decreases forest interior (area), and most importantly place birds nesting near edges at high risk to brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds. Other chapters are similarly detailed.

Illustrations by Ms. Zickefoose are superb (as always) and good introductions for each chapter. Too bad they are not in color but then the cost of the book would have gone up proportionately.

I found the book informative, concise, and recommend it to anyone (professional, student or amateur) interested in landscape conservation issues, birds, ecology or any combination thereof. It should be "mandatory" reading for bird-banders and bird-watchers this summer - Tami, Marsha, Ingrid, Dana, and Lori, this means you.

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Restoring North America's Birds: Lessons from Landscape Ecology
Robert A. Askins
Manufacturer: Yale Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MBSJWI

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Restoring North America's Birds: Lessons from Landscape Ecology
Robert A. Askins
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSGJG2

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