Philosophy written in Arabic and in the Islamic world represents
one of the great traditions of Western philosophy.
Inspired by Greek philosophical works and the indigenous
ideas of Islamic theology, Arabic philosophers from the ninth
century onwards put forward ideas of great philosophical and
historical importance. This collection of essays, by some of
the leading scholars in Arabic philosophy, provides an introduction
to the field by way of chapters devoted to individual
thinkers (such as al-Fa¯ra¯bı¯, Avicenna, and Averroes) or
groups, especially during the ‘classical’ period from the ninth
to the twelfth centuries. It also includes chapters on areas of
philosophical inquiry across the tradition, such as ethics and
metaphysics. Finally, it includes chapters on later Islamic
thought, and on the connections between Arabic philosophy
and Greek, Jewish, and Latin philosophy. The volume also
includes a useful bibliography and a chronology of the most
important Arabic thinkers.