An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia, Vol. 1: From Zoroaster to Omar Khayyam

The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by Islamic Publications Ltd.

The tradition of philosophy in the Persian-speaking world is extraordinarily rich, creative and diverse. This anthology, which is divided into three volumes, aims to communicate something of that richness and diversity. The term 'philosophy' is understood to in its widest sense to include theological debate, philosophical Sufism and philosophical hermeneutics (ta'wil). Extending over a period of more than two millennia, and showcasing translations by well-established scholars, the anthology offers full bibliographical references throughout. For anyone interested in exploring, in all their varied manifestations, the fascinating philosophical traditions of Persia, such a wide-ranging and ambitious work will be an indispensable resource. Volume 1 starts with the Zoroastrian period and extends to the time of Biruni and Oma Khayyam, paying special attenton to the peripatetic school associated with Ibn Sina (Avicenna).
During the pre-Islamic period philosophy was intertwined with religion, and it is within Persian religious texts such as the "Gathas", the "Denkard", and the Zoroastrian texts of the "Bundahisn" that philosophical discussions of subjects ranging from metaphysics to cosmology and eschatology are to be found.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1845115414
• ISBN13: 9781845115418
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris & Company
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 2.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Ambitious anthology

This marks the first volume of an ambitious anthology project headed by Seyyed Hossein Nasr and Mehdi Aminrazavi. The goal is eventually have 4-5 volumes. What is impressive about this work is that for the first time, many of the most important philosophical texts will be made available in contemporary and scholarly translations. While there is no shortage of books on Islamic philosophy, it has been very difficult to find accurate translations of Islamic philosophical texts. One would imagine that this project would be of interest to students of Islamic thought, as well as Aristotelian and Neoplatonic philosophy. We look forward to the future volumes which will deal with Isma'ili and Kalam texts as well. Highly recommended.