James Gow's A Short History of Greek Mathematics provided the first full account of the subject available in English, and it today remains a clear and thorough guide to early arithmetic and geometry. Beginning with the origins of the numerical system and proceeding through the theorems of Pythagoras, Euclid, Archimedes and many others, the Short History offers in-depth analysis and useful translations of individual texts as well as a broad historical overview of the development of mathematics. Parts I and II (...) concern Greek arithmetic, including the origin of alphabetic numerals and the nomenclature for operations; Part III constitutes a complete history of Greek geometry, from its earliest precursors in Egypt and Babylon through to the innovations of the Ionic, Sophistic, and Academic schools and their followers. Particular attention is given to Pythagorus, Euclid, Archimedes, and Ptolemy, but a host of lesser-known thinkers receive deserved attention as well. (shrink)

Attempts to present the author's philosophy in a comprehensive way for the general readers and the students of Arabic-Muslim thought.

The cosmology of al-Kindi is multifaceted, predominantly Aristotelian in allegiance and method, but inclusive of certain Harranian, Hermetic, Stoic and Neoplatonic source materials. Al-Kindi is more consistent in his philosophical style than in his selected sources, which allows us to recognize the disputed De radiis as an authentic work. His On the Proximate Efficient Cause borrows literally from the Kindi-circle adaptation of Alexander of Aphrodisias' Peri pronoias, an astrologizing adaptation which reduces divine providence to "the government of the spheres". His (...) On the Bowing of the Farthest Body is in line with Olympiodorus' interpretation of Aristotle's ensouled spheres, incorporating arguments that were originally Stoic in defense of the living cosmos. In every case, all is harmonized with Koranic revelation. Al-Kindi was not a Mu'tazilite theologian, neither in his primarily scientific subject matter nor in his methods; instead he endeavored to claim the proof of the unity and causality of God as more properly the domain of philosophy. His treatise On Determining the Time in which One May Expect an Answer to Prayer and Entreaty to God, by way of Astrology and his account of Sabian beliefs and practices preserved in the Fihrist clearly show his sympathy for the philosophical religion of Harran, and imply that some of his knowledge and sources came through Harranian channels, as is the most likely case for both of his treatises on the soul and for the De radiis. By his reliance on late Greek commentators and abridged adaptations of Greek works, al-Kindi represents the continuity of the Alexandrian tradition, in contrast to the break in that tradition seen in al-Farabi. In rivalry with the Mu'tazila, al-Kindi attempted in both his physics and metaphysics to build up a philosophical understanding of Islam. This rests on his conviction of the compatibility and complementarity of philosophically and prophetically derived knowledge. ;The appendix contains translations of two unedited Quaestiones of Alexander of Aphrodisias in Kindi-circle adaptations; one of them contains the first reference to what became the Liber de causis, cited here as The Book of Causes. (shrink)

Al-Kindi was the first philosopher of the Islamic world. He lived in Iraq and studied in Baghdad, where he became attached to the caliphal court. In due course he would become an important figure at court: a tutor to the caliph's son, and a central figure in the translation movement of the ninth century, which rendered much of Greek philosophy, science, and medicine into Arabic. Al-Kindi's wide-ranging intellectual interests included not only philosophy but also music, astronomy, mathematics, and medicine. Through (...) deep engagement with Greek tradition al-Kindi developed original theories on key issues in the philosophy of religion, metaphysics, physical science, and ethics. He is especially known for his arguments against the world's eternity, and his innovative use of Greek ideas to explore the idea of God's unity and transcendence. Despite al-Kindi's historical and philosophical importance no book has presented a complete, in-depth look at his thought until now. In this accessible introduction to al-Kindi's works, Peter Adamson surveys what is known of his life and examines his method and his attitude towards the Greek tradition, as well as his subtle relationship with the Muslim intellectual culture of his day. Above all the book focuses on explaining and evaluating the ideas found in al-Kindi's wide-ranging philosophical corpus, including works devoted to science and mathematics. Throughout, Adamson writes in language that is both serious and engaging, academic and approachable. This book will be of interest to experts in the field, but it requires no knowledge of Greek or Arabic, and is also aimed at non-experts who are simply interested in one of the greatest of Islamic philosophers. (shrink)

Arabic contributions to medicine, mathematics, astronomy, and other fields have been extensively studied, yet Arabic logic has never been systematically investigated. In this book, Nicholas Rescher sheds new light on the major philosophical contribution of Arab logicians. He provides a historical account of the evolution of Arabic logic, from its inception in the early ninth century through the sixteenth century, when these tenets gained wide acceptance. The book also includes a bio-bibliography of 170 Arabic logicians, and a discussion of the (...) place of each within the overall scheme of developments. (shrink)

Much attention has been given to Arabic thought in the history of philosophy, however, Arabic contributions to logic have been greatly overlooked. In the ten essays of this book, Nicholas Rescher presents substantial material on the history, progression and major trends of Arabic logic from the eighth through the sixteenth century. Rescher finds that, like much of Western thought, Arabic logic had its basis in Greek philosophy, and specifically in Hellenistic Aristotelian logic.

Translation with notes of Ammonius' Commentary on Aristotle's Categories.

This book brings together twenty articles giving a comprehensive view of the work of the Aristotelian commentators.... The importance of the commentators is partly that they represent the thought and classroom teaching of the Aristotelian and Neoplatonist schools and partly that they provide a panorama of a thousand years of anicient Greek philosophy, revealing many original quotations from lost works. Even more significant is the profound influence... that they exert on later philosophy, Islamic and Western. Not only did they preserve (...) anti-Aristotelian marterial which helped inspire Medieval and Renaissance science, but they presented Aristotle in a form that made him acceptable to the Christian Church. It is not Aristotle, but Aristotle transformed and embedded in the philosophy of the commentators, that so often lies behind the views of later thinkers. --From book jacket. (shrink)

Rich with historical and cultural value, these works are published unaltered from the original University of Minnesota Press editions.

This chapter shows how al-Kindī interweaves ideas from Greek cosmology to give a theory that can explain the efficacy of astrology and how God’s providence is dispersed by means of heavenly influence. A concrete example is found in al-Kindī’s works on meteorology, since he thinks that weather is produced by celestial causation. The mechanics of this causation are explained differently in different works, which leads to a consideration of the authenticity of On Rays, which is ascribed to al-Kindī, and its (...) place in his corpus. Finally, the chapter considers whether al-Kindī’s account commits him to determinism, and whether he thinks universal causal determinism is compatible with human freedom. (shrink)