Islamic Philosophy

Course goals

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• identify and understand key concepts, terminology, and historical contexts relevant to premodern Islamic philosophy;
• analyze primary philosophical and theological texts in premodern Islamic philosophy by identifying their central claims, argumentative structures, and underlying assumptions.
• apply philosophical concepts and methods to interpret unfamiliar texts and related secondary scholarship;
• evaluate competing philosophical positions on major topics such as the proofs for the existence of God, causality, the nature of the soul, and ethics, using textual and conceptual evidence;
• create coherent oral and written arguments through presentations and research-based assignments, using both primary sources and secondary literature.

In addition, students will develop transferable skills in academic writing, oral presentation, and independent research, including effective use of scholarly resources and proper citation practices.

Content

This course offers an introduction to philosophy in the Islamic world during the premodern period (roughly between the 8^th and 14^th centuries CE). It provides both a general overview of the major philosophers and schools of thought active at this time and an in-depth account of core philosophical problems that shaped the intellectual discourse in this context. The course is structured around philosophical questions and problems and examines how they were articulated, debated, and transformed through close engagement with primary texts stemming from both philosophy and theology.
Central to the course is the investigation of the relationship between reason and revelation, rational inquiry and religious knowledge. This question serves as a point of entry into broader philosophical discussions developed within the Graeco-Arabic philosophical tradition (falsafa) and Islamic theology (kalām), highlighting both convergences and tensions between philosophical argumentation and doctrinal commitments. The program is organized thematically, with each unit devoted to a major topic in Islamic philosophy, including:

• the existence and attributes of God;
• creation and cosmology;
• nature and causality;
• the soul, intellect, and human knowledge;
• ethics, moral responsibility, and the foundations of ethical norms.

Throughout the course, participants will engage closely with texts by major figures such as al-Fārābī, Ibn Sīnā, al-Ghazālī, and Ibn Rushd, as well as other lesser-known authors, who nonetheless played a significant part in the debates discussed.

Additional information

Please note: the time slot shown here is not yet final and may still be modified until the 3rd Wednesday in September.