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Very Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, InspiringThis book provides an introduction to the most important philosopher of the Islamic world, Ibn S¿n¿, often known in English by his Latinized name Avicenna. After introducing the man and his works, with an overview of the historical context in which he lived, the book devotes chapters to the different areas of Ibn S¿n¿'s thought. Among the topics covered are his innovations in logic, his theory of the human soul and its powers, the relation between his medical writings and his philosophy, and his metaphysics of existence. Particular attention is given to two famous arguments: his flying man thought experiment and the so-called "demonstration of the truthful," a proof for the existence of God as the Necessary Existent. A distinctive feature of the book is its attention to the relationship between Ibn S¿n¿ and Islamic rational theology (
kal¿m): in which we see how Ibn S¿n¿ responded to this tradition in many areas of his thought. A final chapter looks at Ibn S¿n¿'s legacy in both the Islamic world and in Latin Christendom. Here Adamson focuses on the critical responses to Ibn S¿n¿ in subsequent generations by such figures as al-Ghaz¿l¿, al-Suhraward¿, and Fakhr al-D¿n al-R¿z¿.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The
Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
List of contents
- 1: Life works
- 2: Logic epistemology
- 3: Human person
- 4: Physics
- 5: God and world
- 6: Legacy
- Further reading
- Index
About the author
Peter Adamson received his BA from Williams College and PhD from the University of Notre Dame. From 2000 to 2012 he was a member of the Philosophy Department at King's College London, and he maintains a connection to King's. But his primary position is now as Professor of Late Ancient and Arabic Philosophy at the LMU in Munich. The author of numerous monographs and articles on ancient and medieval philosophy, especially Neoplatonism and philosophy in the Islamic world, he also hosts the History of Philosophy podcast, which appears as a series of books with Oxford University Press.
Summary
In this book, Peter Adamson introduces the most important philosopher of the Islamic world, Ibn Sina. After describing the historical context in which he lived, what we know of the man, and his surviving works, Adamson discusses the different areas of Ibn Sina's thought.
Additional text
A distinctive feature of the book is its attention to the relationship between Ibn Sīnā and Islamic rational theology (kalām): in which we see how Ibn Sīnā responded to this tradition in many areas of his thought.
