The Cambridge Companoion to Arabic Philosophy

The Cambridge Companoion to Arabic Philosophy

How did Arabic-speaking philosophers in the Islamic world engage with, transform, and expand the Greek philosophical tradition, and what unique contributions did they make to the history of philosophy?

About the Book

The Cambridge Companion to Arabic Philosophy, edited by Peter Adamson and Richard C. Taylor and published in 2005 by Cambridge University Press, is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the rich tradition of philosophy written in Arabic from the 9th to the 12th centuries. The volume brings together leading scholars to explore the major figures — including al-Kindi, al-Farabi, Avicenna (Ibn Sina), al-Ghazali, and Averroes (Ibn Rushd) — as well as key themes such as metaphysics, logic, ethics, politics, and the relationship between philosophy and religion. It examines how Muslim philosophers received Greek thought (especially Aristotle and Plato), adapted it to an Islamic context, and produced original contributions that influenced both the Islamic world and later medieval Europe.

What You Will Discover

• The historical development of philosophy in the Arabic-speaking Islamic world
• Major philosophers and their most important works and ideas
• The transmission and transformation of Greek philosophy within an Islamic framework
• Key topics including metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy
• The complex relationship between philosophy (falsafa) and Islamic theology (kalam)
• The influence of Arabic philosophy on both Islamic and Western intellectual traditions
• Contemporary scholarly perspectives on the originality and significance of Arabic philosophy

About the Author

Peter Adamson and Richard C. Taylor are leading scholars of Arabic and Islamic philosophy who have assembled an international team of experts for this companion.

Who Is This Book For?

This book is essential for university students and researchers of philosophy, Islamic studies, and medieval intellectual history, as well as anyone seeking a reliable and up-to-date introduction to the remarkable tradition of classical Arabic philosophy.