Islam & Greek Philosophy

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Islam and Greek philosophy I. Introduction II. The Formation of Islamic philosophy 1. The Peripatetic school. 2. The Illuminationist school. III. Sunni and Shii reactions to philosophy IV. Avicenna V. Muslim Theology VI. Al Ghazali's and the philosophers 1. Mastering the Greek thought. 2. Attacking Islamic philosophers: Al Farabi-Ibn Sina VII. Islamic influence on the Western thought. VIII. Conclusion Islam and Greek philosophy Rachida El Diwani Professor of Comparative Literature Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt Fulbright Visiting Specialist, Oct 22 – Nov 12, 2005 Lake Superior State University Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 I. Introduction In this talk I'll present an idea about the beginning of the Islamic philosophy under the influence of the Greek Aristotelian and Platonian thought, and how Avicenna and Averroes have embodied it. We will see how this thought had not eventually been accepted by other Muslim thinkers especially Al Ghazali and finally how this very Islamic philosophy will influence the Western thought through the translations of the Muslim philosophers in the Midde Ages . II. The Formation of Islamic philosophy Philosophy began in the Muslim world in the third/ninth century, with the translation of Greek philosophical texts into Arabic. 1. The Peripatetic school The first Muslim philosopher was Al Kindi, the Latin Al Kindus, called the philosopher of the Arabs. He knew Syriac (language of the Nestorians) and perhaps some Greek and was well acquainted with Greco-Hellenistic scientific and philosophical works. He was the first of the Muslim philosopher-scientists. He initiated the process of formulating a technical philosophical vocabulary in Arabic and of rethinking Greek

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