Falsafa: Philosophy among the Arabs
The book Falsafa: Philosophy among the Arabs is a manual dedicated to the historical and philosophical introduction of the main circumstances that favored the birth of Philosophy among the Arabs, its main authors and their main ideas and, finally, the paths by which such currents of thought spread throughout the world both in the East and in the West.
The study of the Falsafa does not lead us to know the philosophy of a certain "other", but, on the contrary, it clarifies many unknown points of so-called Western philosophy by showing, among other things, that the division of the world between East and West can be replaced by a movement of ideas and transmissions that goes beyond such a division. After introducing the reader to the formation and stages of thought in the Arabic world, the book presents, in a didactic manner, the classical period of Arabic Philosophy, mainly between the 9th and 14th centuries AD, showing how, from a broad movement of translation of the works of Greek philosophers into Arabic – mostly Plato and Aristotle –, Philosophy began to develop into new and recombined systems of great scope and wide reach. The theories of the main Arabic-speaking philosophers are covered in chapters dedicated exclusively to each of them, highlighting the names of Al-Kindī, Al-Fārābī, Avicenna (Ibn Sīnā) and Averroes (Ibn Rushd). The chosen topics allow the reader to have a global vision of the entire field of philosophical reflection, including Metaphysics, Cosmogony, Natural Sciences, Psychology, Ethics, and Politics. After tracing the originality of philosophical reflection in Arabic, the book explains how a large part of this wealth of ideas was transmitted to Europe from the 12th century onwards, moving Latin-speaking Christian thinkers under new theoretical influences. A valuable aid for the student and researcher, Falsafa - Philosophy among the Arabs is also an excellent introduction to university courses in Philosophy and the Arab World, a fascinating gateway to the world of Philosophy, tracing an innovative historical and philosophical overview of Arabic Philosophy, thus filling a gap for a new understanding of the History of Philosophy and Universal Thought.