Abu'l-Barakat al-Baghdadi's Metaphysical Philosophy

Abu'l-Barakat is a renowned philosopher of the Arabic-Jewish milieu who composed in his magnum opus the Kitab al-Mu'tabar, a comprehensive metaphysics which challenged the accepted notions of the traditional metaphysical philosophy. 'Abu'l-Barakat al-Baghdadi's Metaphysical Philosophy' examines the novel philosophical conceptions of the first book of the Metaphysics of the Kitab al-Mu'tabar. The aim is to present a developed conception of Abu'l-Barakat's systematic metaphysics. This is accomplished by following the order of topics discussed, while translating the relevant passages. These different topics comprise stages of cognition that move from an analysis of time, creation and causality to the conception of a higher spiritual realm of mental entities and a conception of God as the First Knower and Teacher. The epistemological and ontological conceptions are analyzed at each culminating stage. 'Abu'l-Barakat al-Baghdadi's Metaphysical Philosophy' analyzes vast portions of the metaphysical study for the first time. The book will thus be a valuable resource for all those seeking an original and broad metaphysics, and for students and scholars of Jewish and Islamic Philosophy. Furthermore, it is of importance for those seeking a metaphysics related to scientific theories and those interested in the history of science and metaphysics.

Moshe M. Pavlov studied philosophy at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, taking his B.A. and M.A. in philosophy and his doctorate in Jewish Philosophy.

1. An Introduction to Abu'l-Barakat's Metaphysical Philosophy Part I The Theory of the Existent interacting with Existence 2. Interacting notions of the external world 3. The relationship of the existent to existence 4. The nature of knowledge and the mental existents 5. The metaphysical attributes and the principle of origination Part II The spiritual realm and the first knower conceived by means of the third cognition 6. The theoretical nature of the metaphysical ipseitical cognition 7. The implementation of the pracitcal philosophy of the first knower 8. Interpretations of Abu'l Barakat's Metaphysical Philosophy 9. The conception of God of the Metaphysics