Books of Definition in Islamic Philosophy

The first section of this book surveys the development of Islamic philosophy though an examination of the definitions for substance, cause and matter. These important philosophical terms were defined by each new generation of philosophers. The definitions show an awareness of Greek philosophy, but also take metaphysical thought into an Islamic matrix. In the second section the author translates Ibn Sina's "Kitab al-hudud" (Book of Definition) and puts the tenth-century philosopher in his proper geopolitical sphere. Questions of Ibn Sina' connection with the East as well as medieval scholastic philosophy are considered. Teaching Islamic philosophy outside of the Arabic-speaking world has been handicapped by a lack of primary texts in translation and studies of basic concepts. This book makes the foundation of this field more accessible to students and a general readership. By translating this little-known but pivotal text into readable English, Kennedy-Day has opened a door for a wider range of readers.

Kiki Kennedy-Day focuses on the philosophical writings of Ibn Sina. Kennedy-Day has a Ph.D in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has taught philosophy and religion at various New York universities and at Fatih University in Istanbul, Turkey. Her current work focuses on connections among Islamic, Greek and Scholastic philosophy.

Dedication Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction Part I Definitions of the Philosophers Chapter 1. What is a Definition? 1. The Role of Definition in Islamic Philosophy 2. Types of Definition 3. Definitions in a Historical Context Chapter 2. al-Kindi: the First Arabic Book of Definitions 1. The Style of al-Kindi's On the Definitions 2. Al-Kindi's Definitions 3. Conclusions Chapter 3. al-Farabi: the Emergence of Arabicized Greek Logic 1. The State of Greek Translation in the Tenth Century 2. The Style of Kitab al-huruf 3. The Definition of Definition 4. al-Farabi's Definitions 5. Conclusions Chapter 4. Ibn-Sina: the Second Book of Definitions 1. The Style of Ibn-Sina's Book of Definitions 2. Ibn Sina on Definition of hadd 3. Ibn Sina's Definitions 4. Conclusions Chapter 5. Comparison of Vocabulary 1. al-Jawhar 2. al-Illa 4. al-Hayula and al-Madda Part II Ibn Sina's Book of Definitions Chapter 6. The Socio-political Milieu of Ibn Sina Chapter 7. Translation of Kitab al-hudud Chapter 8. Commentary Appendices Bibliography Index