Classical Arabic Philosophy: An Anthology Of Sources

CAP_final.qxd 7/18/07 10:16 AM Page 1 This collection presents substantial selections from the works of the major Arabic philosophers of the classical period (c. ninth through twelfth centuries) on topics including logic, philosophy of science, natural philosophy, metaphysics, ethics, and politics. A general Introduction, extensive annotation, a bibliography, and a glossary-index offer support both to scholars and to those approaching these rich materials for the first time. CLASSICAL ARABIC PHILOSOPHY “This is a very fine, well-conceived collection of philosophical materials that display the intellectual rigor, power, and insights of the thinkers of the Arabic tradition. [It is] quite impressive in what it covers. Issues in metaphysics, epistemology, language and ontology, natural philosophy, practical philosophy, and more. . . . Certainly this book is far superior to anything else currently available.” —Rɪcʜaʀd C. Taʏʟoʀ, Marquette University An Anthology of Sources “This book will make a major impact on the study, and especially the teaching, of Arabic philosophy. . . . Reisman and McGinnis not only provide here a rich selection of standard texts, but also translate several important works for the first time. This will no doubt become the standard anthology on Arabic philosophy.” —Peteʀ Adamsoɴ, King’s College London Joɴ McGɪɴɴɪs is Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Missouri–St. Louis. Davɪd C. Reɪsmaɴ is Associate Professor of Arabic-Islamic Thought in the Department of Classics and Mediterranean Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago. Translated with Introduction, Notes, and Glossary by ISBN-13: 978-0-87220-871-1 JON MCGINNIS & DAVID C. REISMAN 90000 Cover image: “Philosophy” (Falsafa) in Arabic script. Courtesy of Tom Gage. 9 780872 208711 0871 Classical Arabic Philosophy An Anthology of Sources CAP_PR.indd i 7/9/2007 6:31:55 PM CAP_PR.indd ii 7/9/2007 6:31:55 PM Classical Arabic Philosophy An Anthology of Sources Translated with Introduction, Notes, and Glossary by Jon McGinnis and David C. Reisman Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. Indianapolis/Cambridge CAP_PR.indd iii 7/9/2007 6:31:55 PM Copyright 02007 by Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. All rights reserved For further information, please address: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. P.O. Box 44937 Indianapolis, I N 46244-0937 Cover design by Abigail Coyle Text design by Carrie Wagner Printed at Edwards Brothers, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Classical Arabic philosophy : an anthology of sources / translated with introduction, notes, and glossary by Jon McGinnis and David C. Reisman. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-87220-871-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-87220-872-8 (cloth : alk. paper) I. Philosophy, Islamic. I. McGinnis, Jon. 11. Reisman, David C. B741.C52 2007 I81'.92-dc22 2007018579 e-ISBN: 978-1-60384-033-0 (e-book) To our sons Lorcan, Morgan, and Gage CAP_PR.indd v 7/9/2007 6:31:55 PM CAP_PR.indd vi 7/9/2007 6:31:55 PM Contents Preface xi Introduction I. II. III. xvii Falsafa and the Arabic Translation Movement xvii The Intellectual World of the Ancient and Medieval Mediterranean xix The Physical Theory and Cosmology of Islamic Speculative T