REL 137g 1st Edition Lecture 13 Current Lecture Philosophy Falsafah love of wisdom Used both generally and specifically A number of systems not just one Leading constructs in modern western civilization Science Philosophy Both can be used as a means of assessing other civilizations Falsafah was ultimate rejected and expunged from intellectual traditions of Islam Easy to believe that Islam is opposed to philosophy Because philosophy is about reason whereas religion is about revelation But just as there are modes of reason there are also modes of philosophy Many schools of philosophy Falsafah is one of those schools not is philosophy in general Islamic problems with falsafah Eternity of the world It equals an attempt to Islamicize Neo Platonism philosophy based on the Greeks Plato For the Greeks existence of God was not a problem but the issue of creationism was God did not create the world or the universe They came into being by virtue of emanations from God Various degrees of reflection of divine intelligence Produces offspring not by God s will but by God s nature Material world is the one thing God is not He is pure perfect thought and reason Entails a number of conclusions If it is the nature of God that creates the world then the world must exist as long as God exists and has always existed Problem no creation and no creator Denial of resurrection Resurrection Too material Prefers unity of the soul immaterial intellect Knows no particulars Falsafah does reemerge in Shiism but would never again emerge based on the above conflicts Suni Islam ends up with a negative predisposition towards falsafah Explains why there are not modern schools of falsafah Huge translation movement in 9th century CE From Greek into Arabic Championed by Arabacized Christians in Muslim land Falsafah took place before translation effort By al Kindi an Arabian Only accepted certain apects that he could reconcile with Islam Such as the idea that God was not subject to change that God was simple A single substance sui generis no attributes could be applied to God The world was created and would come to an end
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