The latest in the series based on the popular History of Philosophy podcast, this volume presents the first full history of philosophy in the Islamic world for a broad readership. It takes an approach unprecedented among introductions to this subject, by providing full coverage of Jewish and Christian thinkers as well as Muslims, and by taking the story of philosophy from its beginnings in the world of early Islam all the way through to the twentieth century. Major figures like Avicenna, Averroes, and Maimonides are covered in great detail, but the book also looks at less familiar thinkers, including women philosophers. Attention is also given to the philosophical relevance of Islamic theology (kalam) and mysticism--the Sufi tradition within Islam, and Kabbalah among Jews--and to science, with chapters on disciplines like optics and astronomy. The book is divided into three sections, with the first looking at the first blossoming of Islamic theology and responses to the Greek philosophical tradition in the world of Arabic learning. This 'formative period' culminates with the work of Avicenna, the pivotal figure to whom most later thinkers feel they must respond. The second part of the book discusses philosophy in Muslim Spain (Andalusia), where Jewish philosophers come to the fore, though this is also the setting for such thinkers as Averroes and Ibn Arabi. Finally, a third section looks in unusual detail at later developments, touching on philosophy in the Ottoman, Mughal, and Safavid empires and showing how thinkers in the nineteenth to the twentieth century were still concerned to respond to the ideas that had animated philosophy in the Islamic world for centuries, while also responding to political and intellectual challenges from the European colonial powers.

About the Author
Peter Adamson took his doctorate from the University of Notre Dame and first worked at King's College London. In 2012 he moved to the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen, where he is Professor of Late Ancient and Arabic Philosophy. He has published widely in ancient and medieval philosophy, especially on Neoplatonism and on philosophy in the Islamic world.

Reviews
Adamson gives a solid introduction to this encompassing history, which clearly will help students to acquire a serious first knowledge of this rich and complex history, but also often offers the advanced reader interesting insights. * Jules Janssens, Tidschrift voor Filosofie *
[Adamson's] account of philosophy in the Islamic world and the larger project of which it is a part establish a new paradigm for telling the story of philosophy. * Carlos Fraenkel, Los Angeles Review of Books *
This is a well-written and interesting work . . . the author deserves credit for engaging with such a complex subject and making it accessible to the public. * Muhammad Khan, The Muslim News *
From the first volume onwards, a repeated refrain has been philosophers arguing that being a philosopher is the best choice in life. These books are so engaging, instructive, and diverting, it might almost make you believe that is true. * Stuart Kelly, Scotland on Sunday *
short, conversational chapters sparkling with new ideas, interpretations and a lively sense of humour. Adamson is so easy to learn, absorb, and enjoy, that all the info slips down with hardly a hiccup. * Steve Craggs, Northern Echo *
bite-sized, well-indexed chapters on key philosophers, movements, and developments which took place in the Islamic world. * Daniel J. Levy, Jewish News *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198818618
Author Peter Adamson
Format Paperback
Page Count 544
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 806g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 157mm * 28mm