Reviews Description Table of Contents Additional Information   Reviews Marmura’s Probing in Islamic Philosophy brings together a number of important articles, primarily on the thought of Avicenna and Ghazali, by world-renown authority of Islamic philosophy Michael E. Marmura. This collection of articles will prove to be a valuable resource for scholars and students of Islamic thought, medieval studies, philosophy of religion, and the history of ideas. —Mohammed Rustom, University of Toronto Probing in Islamic Philosophy stimulates interest. It combines careful reading of texts in the original language, great philosophical acumen, and unusual knowledge of Islamic theology. The book gathers seminal articles, mainly on Avicenna and al-Ghazali, some of which were very difficult to obtain. “Probing” not only gathers exceptional articles but demonstrates how they interplay, complete each other, and bring further nuances. I had read most of the articles before and even used some of them for graduate teaching, but heir collection is still more illuminating. My students commented on their clarity and depth and were attempting to emulate these qualities in their own work. This book is a must for any serious study of Islamic philosophy and theology. — Thérèse-Anne DRUART , The Catholic University of America Professor and Director of the Center of Medieval and Byzantine Studies   Go to Top Description Probing in Islamic Philosophy, Studies in the Philosophies of Ibn Sina, al-Ghazali and Other Major Muslim Thinkers. For the historian of ideas, interest in medieval Islamic philosophy is not something new. But this interest has been intensified with the growth of a fuller awareness of the impact this philosophy has had on the development of European thought. Overemphasis of this influence, however, can distract from treating the Islamic philosophers in their own right, that is, as philosophers who have developed ideas of their own that are intrinsic in value. The approach of these studies is thus to probe and analyze what these thinkers actually said. The first part is devoted to Ibn Sina (Avicenna), noted for his refining the distinction between essence and existence, which constitutes the basis for his proof of God’s existence and for his significant theory of universals. The second part is devoted to Avicenna’s theologian-critic, Ghazali, noted for his argument that a necessary causal connection between natural events can be proven neither logically nor empirically. The third part pertains to various central themes in Islamic philosophy and includes discussions of the thought of such philosophers as Kindi, Razi, Ibn Tufayl and Ibn Rushd (Averroes). It concludes with a discussion of the issues that divided the Islamic theologians, namely whether the value of a moral act is intrinsic to it or whether it is solely derived from the religious law. Go to Top   Table of Contents I. Avicennan Studies Avicenna on the Division of the Sciences in the Isagoge of his Shifa Avicenna’s Metaphysics, Encyclopedia Iranica Avicenna’s Chapter on Universals in the Isagoge of his Shifa Quiddity and Universality in Avicenna Some Aspects of Avicenna’s Theory of God’s Knowledge of Particulars Avicenna and the Kalam Avicenna’s Proof from Contingency for God’s Existence in the Metaphysics of the Shifa Avicenna on Primary Concepts in the Metaphysics of his al-Shifa Avicenna and the Problem of the Infinite Number of Souls Avicenna’s “Flying Man” in Context Avicenna’s Theory of Prophecy in the Light of Ash’arite Theology   II. Ghazalian Studies The Logical Role of the Argument from Time in the Tahafut’s Second Proof for the World’s Pre-Eternity Ghazali and Demonstrative Science Ghazali on Ethical Premises Premises that are not Certain and are Unusable in Demonstrations Al-Ghazali on Bodily Resurrection and Causality in the Tahafut and the Iqtisad Ghazali’s Chapter on Divine Power in the Iqtisad   III. Other Studies With John M. Rist, “Al-Kindi’s Discussion of Divine Existence and Oneness” The Fortuna of the Posterior Analytics in the Arabic Middle Ages Divine Omniscience and Future Contingents in Alfarabi and Avicenna The Islamic Philosophers’ Conception of Islam The Philosopher and Society: Some Medieval Arabic Discussion A Medieval Islamic Argument for the Intrinsic Value of the Moral Act IV. Appendix Source of the Articles   Go to Top     Additional Information This book is available in Toronto, Canada. Please contact: York University Bookstore York Lanes Bldg. 4700 Keele St Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Email: bookstor@yorku.ca Telephone: (416) 487-6702 Fax number: (416) 487-6792 This book is available in Toronto, Canada. Please contact: University of Toronto Bookstore 214 College Street Toronto, ON M5T 3A1 Email: mississauga@uoftbookstore.com Telephone: (416) 640-5820 Fax number: (416) 640-5336 (Attention: Special Orders) Go to Top