The Intellectual Schools and Various Interpretations of Islam (week 8) Flashcards
What is ‘kalam’?
it is speech - dogmatic theology
What does it aim to do?
systematise Muslims understanding go God and the world on the basis of the Quran and the Hadith
How can this approach be described
a rationalist approach to the interoperation of the Quran
Where else is it involved
in theological debates with non-Muslims
What are the questions that come up in early Muslim theological debate?
- who is a muslim?
- is a grave sinner still Muslim?
- what are the limits of human reason?
- free will or predestination?
Give examples of some famous dogmatic theologians:
al-Ash‘ari (d. 935)
al-Maturidi (d. 944)
al-Juwayni (d. 1085)
Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 1209
What is falsafa?
The Arabic word for Greek philosophia
What are some areas of philosophical inquiry?
Logic, Mathematics, Physics, Metaphysics, Politics and Ethics
What was the impact of Muslim Philosophy on Western Thought?
Greek was translated to Arabic and then into Latin
Without falsafa, medieval wester thought would have. taken a different course
which philosopher can ibn sina (avicenna) work be compared to?
Descartes - I think therefore I am
What is interesting about this?
Despite their broad differences of historical and cultural context there are still similarities
What are the four key similarities between both of their works?
- foundational self-awareness
- independence from sensory experience
- immediate self-knowledge
- philosophical skepticism
foundational awareness - Descates pov
cogito - statement emphasising our self awareness on the basis of knowledge - through doubting everything he concluded that he MUST exist as a thinking being.
foundational awareness - ibn sinna
flying man thought experiment - starts with a radical doubt as well - asks us to imagine someone who comes suddenly into existence - with no sensory experiences in an empty space.
Despite the absence of sensory input he still knows he exists
independence from sensory experience - Descartes
even if all sensory experiences were illusions - he could not doubt the existence of himself as a thinking being.
independence from sensory experience - ibn sina
flying man - immediate and certain knowledge of self-awareness - without relying on the external world or sensory perception
immediate self knowledge - Descartes
awareness of existence is direct and does not rely on interference or external evidence
immediate self knowledge - ibn sina
knowledge of existence without sensory experience or external verification
philosophical skepticism - descartes
Descartes uses radical doubt to clear all uncertainties and arrive at a foundation of certainty in self-awareness
philosophical skepticism - ibn sina
flying man scenario - skeptical scenario where sensory experiences are eliminated to show immediate nature of self awareness.
What are the key differences between the two of them?
descartes is associated with cartesian dualism and the mind-body problem
ibn sina is a prominent figure in islamic philosophy and contributed to various fields including metaphysics and medicine.
in philosophical terminology how is God understood - Aristotle
unmoved mover, the first cause
there must be a single source of all being because infinite regress is impossible
in philosophical terminology how is God understood - Plotinus
the one from which all ‘emanates’
in both philosophical and Islamic perspective how is God generally viewed?
one and eternal
What are some famous Muslim philosophers?
al-Kindi - the first teacher
al-Farabi - the second teacher
ibn sina - most influential
ibn rushd - major Aristotelian and commenter on Aristotles works.
What is al-Kindi known as
the philosopher of the Arabs
What did he contribute to metaphysics and philosophy?
he wanted to reconcile greek philosophy - Aristotle and Plato in particular with islamic thought.
emphasised the existence of God as the ultimate cause of reality.
philosophy as a tool for understanding and reinforcing religious beliefs.
What did he contribute to science and maths?
translated greek scientific texts to arabic
introduced Indian numerals to islamic world helping the understanding of algebra
What did he contribute to knowledge and education?
promoted ideas that reason and intellect should be used to gain deeper understanding of intellect and the divine
Who was al-Farabi?
second teacher in Islamic philosophical tradition who built upon the works of particularly Aristotle
What did he contribute to political philosophy?
believed that he ideal ruler should be a philosopher kind covering on wisdom ensuring virtue
what did he comment about the integration of philosophy and religion?
sought to harmonize Greek philosophy with Islamic thought.
what did he contribute to ethics and virtue?
expanded on Aristotle’s ethics, believed that a just society could only be achieved through the moral development of its citizens.
what did he contribute to music and aesthetics?
explored the relationship between music, emotions, and ethics, considering the impact of different musical modes on the soul.
Who is ibn sina?
aka avicenna - prominent philosopher of the Islamic Golden Age.
What did he contribute to metaphysics?
hierarchical structure of reality - God emanates as source of all existence, flowing through various levels
What did he say about epistemology?
nature of knwoelsge and the process of acquiring it - emphasised importance of reason in acquiring true knowledge through distinguisihing between gaining knowledge through sense perception and intellectual intuition.
What did he say about philosophical anthropology
nature of soul and relationship with body - rational and animal soul - and the immortality of the sou.
Who was Ibn Rushd?
aka Averroes, made contributions with his interpretations of Aristotles works.
What did he comment about Aristotles works
he commentated on a range of subjects including metaphysics, ethics, politics, logic and natural sciences.
Who were the famous critics of Falsafa?
al-Ghazali (d.1111)
- rational criticism of specific philosophical arguments; but he was critical of certain aspects of Kalam and others
Ibn Taymiyya (d.1326) - anti rationalism
What were the key sources of knowledge?
Dogmatic theologians - revelation and reason
Philosohpers - reason
Sufis - revelation, reason and unveiling
