Table of Contents

Part I: The Formative Period
1: The Straight Path: Philosophy and Islam
2: All for One: The Mu'tazilites
3: Founded in Translation: From Greek to Syriac to Arabic
4: Philosopher of the Arabs: al-Kind=i
5: The Chosen Ones: Philosophy and Judaism
6: Reasoned Belief: Saadia Gaon
7: High Five: al-R=az=i
8: Aristotelian Society: the Baghdad School
9: The Second Master: al-F=ar=ab=i
10: State of Mind: al-F=ar=ab=i on Religion and Politics
11: Eye of the Beholder: Theories of Vision
12: Strings Attached: Music and Philosophy
13: Balancing Acts: Arabic Ethical Literature
14: Undercover Brothers: Philosophy in the Buyid Age
15: God Willing: the Ash'arites
16: The Self-Made Man: Avicenna's Life and Works
17: By the Time I Get to Phoenix: Avicenna on Existence
18: By All Means Necessary: Avicenna on God
19: Into Thin Air: Avicenna on the Soul
20: Special Delivery: al-Ghaz=al=i
21: Miracle Worker: al-Ghaz=al=i against the Philosophers
Part II: Andalusia
22: Philosophy's Reign in Spain: Andalusia
23: Laying Down the Law: Ibn .Hazm and Islamic Legal Theory
24: Fantasy Island: Ibn B=ajja and Ibn Tufayl
25: Back to Basics: Averroes on Reason and Religion
26: Single Minded: Averroes on the Intellect
27: A Matter of Taste: Ibn 'Arab=i and Mysticism
28: Team Spirit: Ibn Khald=un
29: Matter over Mind: Ibn Gabirol
30: Choosing My Religion: Judah Hallevi
31: Born Under a Bad Sign: Freedom and Astrology in Jewish Philosophy
32: With All Your Heart: Ethics and Judaism
33: The Great Eagle: Maimonides
34: He Moves in Mysterious Ways: Maimonides on Eternity
35: Burnt Offerings: the Maimonides Controversy
36: Man and Superman: Gersonides and the Jewish Reception of Averroes
37: Neither the Time nor the Place: .Hasdai Crescas
38: When Bad Things Happen to Good People: Suffering in Jewish Philosophy
39: Chariot of Fire: Kabbalah
40: A Matter of Principles: Joseph Albo and Isaac Abravanel
Part III: The Later Traditions
41: Golden Ages: The Later Traditions
42: All Things Considered: Ab=u l-Barak=at al-Baghd=ad=i
43: For the Sake of Argument: Fakhr al-D=in al-R=az=i
44: Let There Be Light: Suhraward=i
45: Bright Ideas: Illuminationism
46: A Man for All Seasons: Na.s=ir al-D=in al-.T=us=i
47: To Be or Not to Be: Debating Avicenna's Metaphysics
48: Eyes Wide Shut: al-R=um=i and Philosophical Sufism
49: Proof Positive: The Logical Tradition
50: By the Book: Ibn Taymiyya
51: Aftermath: Philosophy and Science in the Mongol Age
52: Family Feud: Philosophy at Sh=ir=az
53: Follow the Leader: Philosophy under the Safavids
54: To Be, Continued: Mull=a .Sadr=a on Existence
55: Return to Sender: Mull=a .Sadr=a on Motion and Knowledge
56: Subcontinental Drift: Philosophy in Islamic India
57: Turkish Delights: Philosophy under the Ottomans
58: Blind Alley: Taql=id, Sufism, and Philosophy
59: The Young Ones: Encounters with European Thought
60: The Stronger Sex: Women Scholars in the Islamic World
61: All for One and One for All: Mu.hammad 'Abduh and Mu.hammad Iqb=al
62: Iran So Far: The Heirs of Mull=a .Sadr=a

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-Universität München, 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 big book has something of everything, extending to Kabbalah and Sufism, and all the way to contemporary Islamic thought.... there is no doubt that Adamson is a relentlessly charming guide. Even experts will benefit from having this volume on a nearby shelf, in view of its comprehensiveness, and causal readers will benefit from its jargon-free prose and its useful supplemental features, such as maps and a list of further readings.
*Oxford Studies in Medieval Philosophy*

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*

... there is little doubt that this is an achievement of a volume. It is very easy to recommend to students and friends who want to know something of the general story of philosophy in the world of Islam ... it replaces and improves on existing histories of Islamic philosophy. It is always tricky finding texts on philosophy as introductions to undergraduates. This fulfills that requirement extremely well.
*Sajjad Rizvi, Intellectual History of the Islamicate World*