The sequel to From Existence to God, this text offers a portrait of God that contrasts sharply with that provided by perfect-being theology. It exposes the absurdity of this view and shows how radically God differs from even the most exalted of his creatures.

What can we know about God by reason alone? Philosophical theology is the attempt to obtain such knowledge. An ancient tradition, which is perhaps more influential now than ever, tries to derive the attributes of God from the principle that God is the greatest possible being. Jeff Speaks argues that that constructive project is a failure. He also argues that the related view that the concept of God is the concept of a greatest possible being is a mistake. In the (...) last chapter, he sketches an alternative path forward. (shrink)

The Description for this book, The Wisdom of the Throne: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Mulla Sadra, will be forthcoming.

La philosophie de Sadr al-Din Shirazi (ou Mulla Sadra, mort en 1640) est une tentative de penser le réel comme participation de tout ce qui est à une seule réalité, l'être comme acte. L'ouvrage cherche à clarifier la façon dont est conçue cette participation. La pensée de Mulla Sadra est marquée par une attention aux existences particulières et un souci de leur conserver une existence ontologique.

The book explains Sadra's theory of the nature of afterlife. It presents Sadra's philosophical premises concerning the nature of human beings and their physical and psychological developments through which Sadra shows how the afterlife is intimately connected to the nature of the human being and how it is a natural stage of the evolution of each individual in which a corporeal body has no role. Presenting Mulla Sadra in a new light, the aim of this book is to investigate Sadra's (...) metaphysical principles of the Return that have been either partially presented or misunderstood in most of the existing secondary literature. Focusing on Sadra's philosophical works, specifically the Asfar and his commentary on the Quran, this study demonstrates how Sadra is a philosopher able to carry the premises of the previous philosophical theories to radically different conclusions. Mulla Sadra and Eschatology demonstrates the manner in which Sadra explains the Return as presented in the Quran and Hadith, but also shows how he presents the Return as a natural stage of the evolution of human beings in which a corporeal body has no role. Thus, Sadra offers a plausible philosophical explanation to the problem of bodily resurrection that had occupied Muslim philosophers for centuries. Explaining Mulla Sadra 's distinctive method of "doing" philosophy, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Islamic Philosophy, Religion and Islamic Studies more broadly. (shrink)

Yujin Nagasawa presents a new, stronger version of perfect being theism, the conception of God as the greatest possible being. Nagasawa argues that God should be understood, not as omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent, but rather as a being that has the maximal consistent set of knowledge, power, and benevolence.

Introduction 1. Methodological concerns 2. The Modulation of Being 3. The semantics of modulation of being 4. Mental Being 5. Reality and the Circle of being. Conclusion.

This is the first reliable biography of Mulla Sadra Shirazi that examines his influences and legacy and includes an extensive survey of his work.

Discusses philosopher Mulla Sadra's commentary on the opening chapter of the Qur'an.

Mulla Sadra (c. 1572—1640) Mulla Sadra made major contributions to Islamic metaphysics and to Shi’i theology during the Safavid period (1501-1736) in Persia. He started his career in the context of a rising culture that combined elements from the Persian past with the newly institutionalized Shi’ism and Sufi teachings. Mulla Sadra was heir to a […].