Al-Kind=i (Great Medieval Thinkers) - Softcover

Adamson, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195181433 ISBN 13: 9780195181432

Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A., 2006

Synopsis

This will be the first book in the Great Medieval Thinkers series to focus on an Islamic philosopher. It will offer a brief, accessible introduction to the thought of the philosopher al-Kindi (died about 870 AD). The classical tradition of Arabic philosophy may be said to have five most prominent figures: al-Kindi, al-Farabi, Avicenna, al-Ghazali, and Averroes. Of these, only al-Kindi has not been the subject of a scholarly monograph. This is despite the fact that his philosophy is much more tractable than that of the others insofar as the corpus of his surviving works is of modest size. His works, though brief, are of great historical importance. Al-Kindi was the first philosopher of the Islamic world. He was a central figure in the translation movement of 9th-century Baghdad, which rendered much of Greek philosophy, science, and medicine into Arabic. His works are also of great intrinsic philosophical interest, since al-Kindi, in engaging with the Greek tradition, develops original theories on key questions of philosophy of religion, metaphysics, physical science, and ethics. Peter Adamson will survey what is known of al-Kindis life, examine his thought on a wide range of topics, and consider the relationship of al-Kindis work to his Greek sources. Adamson is also preparing a one-volume translation of al-Kindis works to be published in OUP Pakistan's series, Studies in Islamic Philosophy. Together these two volumes will offer the only reliable access for non-specialists to this important thinker.

About this title

Review:

Al-Kindi is a singularly important figure in the history of Western philosophy. Largely responsible for the revival of Greek philosophy, this time in Arabic translation, he inaugurates the grand tradition of medieval philosophy just like Descartes does the modern. Adamson's book is the first monograph on the entire philosophical thought of al-Kind? and it is done expertly, paying full attention not only to the historical context of al-Kindi ideas but also to their philosophical cohesion and sophistication. Adamson has a very light and engaging style in his expository writing which makes his explanation of philosophical arguments easy to follow and exciting. A book that is as enjoyable for the undergraduate as it is reliable for the professional, it places al-Kindi and all of Arabic philosophy squarely within the history of Western philosophy. (Dimitri Gutas, Professor of Arabic and Graeco-Arabic studies, Yale University)

About the Author:

Peter Adamson is a Reader in Philosophy at King's College in London. He is the author of The Arabic Plotinus: A Philosophical Study of the Theology of Aristotle and with Richard C. Taylor a co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to Arabic Philosophy.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press, U.S.A.
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0195181433
• ISBN 13: 9780195181432
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288