Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Alhassanain (p) Network for Islamic Heritage and Thought

THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY IN ISLAM

By: DR. T. J. DE BOER

Translated by: EDWARD R. JONES, B.D

ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY ONLINE, INC. NEW YORK

www.alhassanain.org/english

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TRANSLATOR'S PREFATORY NOTE 3

PREFACE 4

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 5

1. THE THEATRE 5

2. ORIENTAL WISDOM 7

3. GREEK SCIENCE 10

CHAPTER II. PHILOSOPHY AND ARAB KNOWLEDGE 20

1. GRAMMATICAL SCIENCE 20

2. ETHICAL TEACHING 22

3. DOCTRINAL SYSTEMS 25

4. LITERATURE AND HISTORY 36

CHAPTER III. THE PYTHAGOREAN PHILOSOPHY 41

1. NATURAL PHILOSOPHY 41

2. THE FAITHFUL BRETHREN OF BASRA 45

CHAPTER IV. THE NEO-PLATONIC ARISTOTELIANS OF THE EAST 54

1. KINDI 54

2. FARABI 58

3. IBN MASKAWAIH 69

4. IBN SINA 71

5. IBN AL-HAITHAM 79

CHAPTER V. THE OUTCOME OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE EAST 83

1. GAZALI 83

2. THE EPITOMISTS 90

CHAPTER VI. PHILOSOPHY IN THE WEST 93

1. BEGINNINGS 93

2. IBN BADDJA 94

3. IBN TOFAIL 97

4. IBN ROSHD 100

CHAPTER VII. CONCLUSION 108

1. IBN KHALDUN 108

2. THE ARABS AND SCHOLASTICISM 111

Notes 115

TRANSLATOR'S PREFATORY NOTE

This edition of Dr. De Boar's recent work is produced in the hope that it may prove interesting to not a few English readers, and especially that it may be of service to younger students commencing to study the subject which is dealt with in the following pages. The translator has aimed at nothing more than a faithful reproduction of the original. His best thanks are due to the accomplished author, for his kindness in revising the proof sheets of the version, as it passed through the Press.

E. R. J.

PREFACE

The following is the first attempt which has been made, since the appearance of Munk's excellentsketch[ 1] , to present in connected form a History of Philosophy in Islam. This work of mine may therefore be regarded as a fresh initiation, -.not a completion of such a task. I could not know of all that had been done by others, in the way of preliminary study in this field; and when I did know of the existence of such material, it was not always accessible to me. As for manuscript assistance, it was only in exceptional cases that this was at my disposal.

Conforming to the conditions which I bad to meet, I have in the following account refrained from stating my authorities. But anything which I may have taken over, nearly word for word or without testing it, I have marked in foot-references. For the rest, I deeply regret that I cannot duly indicate at present how much I owe, as regards appreciation of the sources, to men like Dieterici, de Goeje, Goldziher, Houtsma, Aug. M?ller, Munk, N?ldeke, Renan, Snouck Hurgronje, van Vloten, and many, many others.

Since the completion of this volume an interesting mo­nograph on IbnSina[ 2] has appeared, which farther extends its survey over the earlier history of Philosophy in Islam. It gives rise to no occasion, however, to alter substantially my conception of the subject.

For all bibliographical details I refer the reader to “die Orientalische Bibliographie”, Brockelmann's “Geschichte der Arabischen Litteratur”, and Ueberweg-Heinze's “Grundriss der Geschichte der Philosophie” II', p. 213 sqq. In the transcription of Arabic names I have been more heedful of tradition and German pronunciation, than of consistency. Be it noted only that z is to be pronounced as a soft s, and th like the corresponding English sound.[ 3] In the Index of Personal Names, accents signify length.

As far as possible I have confined myself to Islam. On that ground Ibn Gebirol and Maimonides have received only a passing notice, while other Jewish thinkers have been entirely omitted, although, philosophically considered, they belong to the Muslim school. This, however, entails no great loss, for much has been written already about the Jewish philosophers, whereas Muslim thinkers have hitherto been sadly neglected.

Groningen (Netherlands).

T. J. DE BOER.