History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps

HoP 156 - Sarah Pessin on Jewish Neoplatonism

Peter chats with Sarah Pessin about the Neoplatonism of Jewish philosophers such as Isaac Israeli, Ibn Gabirol, and Maimonides.

HoP 155 - Matter over Mind - Ibn Gabirol

Neoplatonism returns in Ibn Gabriol, who controversially holds that everything apart from God has both matter and form.

HoP 154 - The Philosophy of History - Ibn Khaldun

The historian Ibn Khaldūn applies the methods of philosophy to understand the rise and fall of political regimes.

HoP 153 - A Matter of Taste – Ibn Arabi and Mysticism

Sufism, the mystical tradition of Islam, collides with philosophy in the work of Ibn ʿArabī.

HoP 152 - Richard Taylor on Averroes

Averroes scholar Richard C. Taylor joins Peter to talk about Averroes' views on the relation between Islam and philosophy.

HoP 151 - Single Minded - Averroes on the Intellect

Averroes defends the rather surprising notion that all of mankind shares a single intellect.

HoP 150 - Charles Burnett and Dag N Hasse on Arabic Latin Translations

A special 150th double interview episode on the transmission of philosophy from Arabic into Latin.

HoP 149 - Back to Basics - Averroes on Reason and Religion

An introduction to “the Commentator” Averroes, and his defense of philosophy in the Decisive Treatise.

HoP 148 - Fantasy Island - Ibn Bajja and Ibn Tufayl

Intellect and alienation in Ibn Bājja and Ibn Ṭufayl, author of the philosophical desert island castaway tale “Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān.”

HoP 147 - Laying Down the Law – Ibn Hazm and Islamic Legal Theory

The development of Islamic law and jurisprudence (fiqh), and the many-sided output of the legal theorist Ibn Ḥazm.

HoP 146 - Philosophy's Reign in Spain - Andalusia

The flowering of philosophy among Muslims and Jews in al-Andalus (Muslim-controlled Spain and Portugal).

HoP 145 - Frank Griffel on al-Ghazali

Why did al-Ghazālī judge "the philosophers" to be apostates? Peter finds out from Frank Griffel.

HoP 144 - Miracle Worker - al-Ghazali against the Philosophers

In his “Incoherence of the Philosophers,” al-Ghazālī attacks Avicenna’s theories about the eternity of the universe and insists on the possibility of miracles.

HoP 143 - Special Delivery - al-Ghazali

Al-Ghazālī’s search for truth leads him to philosophy, Asharite theology, and ultimately the mystical tradition of Sufism.

HoP 142 - Dimitri Gutas on Avicenna

Peter talks to Dimitri Gutas about Avicenna's sources, philosophical methods, and influence.

HoP 141 - Into Thin Air - Avicenna on the Soul

With his Flying Man argument, Avicenna explores self-awareness and the relation between soul and body.

HoP 140 - By All Means Necessary - Avicenna on God

Avicenna’s proof of the Necessary Existent is ingenious and influential; but does it amount to a proof of God’s existence?

HoP 139 - By the Time I Get to Phoenix - Avicenna on Existence

Avicenna revolutionizes metaphysics with groundbreaking ideas about necessity and contingency, and his new distinction between essence and existence.

HoP 138 - The Self-Made Man - Avicenna's Life and Works

Despite a tumultuous life, Avicenna manages to become the most influential of all medieval philosophers.

HoP 137 - God Willing – the Asharites

Al-Ash‘arī puts his stamp on the future of Islamic theology by emphasizing God’s untrammeled power and freedom.