HoP 138 - The Self-Made Man - Avicenna's Life and Works
Despite a tumultuous life, Avicenna manages to become the most influential of all medieval philosophers.
Episodes
History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps
Peter Adamson, Professor of Philosophy at the LMU in Munich and at King's College London, takes listeners through the history of philosophy, "without any gaps". www.historyofphilosophy.net
Episodes
HoP 137 - God Willing – the Asharites
Al-Ash‘arī puts his stamp on the future of Islamic theology by emphasizing God’s untrammeled power and freedom.
HoP 136 - Farhad Daftary on the Ismailis
Peter is joined by Farhad Daftary, a leading expert on the Shiite group known as the Ismā'īlīs.
HoP 135 - Undercover Brothers – Philosophy in the Buyid Age
Miskawayh, al-‘Amiri, al-Tawhidi, the Brethren of Purity and Ismaili missionaries bring together philosophy with Persian culture, literature and Islam.
HoP 134 - Balancing Acts - Arabic Ethical Literature
Drawing on Galen and Aristotle, philosophers from al-Kindi to Miskawayh compose ethical works designed us to achieve health in soul, as well as body.
HoP 133 - Strings Attached - Music and Philosophy
Peter turns DJ, with some actual music interspersed with discussion about theories of music in Arabic philosophical texts.
HoP 132 - Eye of the Beholder - Theories of Vision
Ibn al-Haytham draws on the tradition of geometrical optics to explain the mystery of human eyesight.
HoP 131 - Deborah Black on al-Farabi's Epistemology
Deborah Black joins Peter to talk about al-Farabi's innovations concerning knowledge and certainty.
HoP 130 - State of Mind - al-Farabi on Religion and Politics
Al-Fārābī combines Islam and Greek sources to present the ideal ruler as a philosopher who is also a prophet.
HoP 129 - The Second Master - al-Farabi
Peter begins to look at the systematic rethinking of Hellenic philosophy offered by al-Farabi, focusing on his logic and metaphysics.
HoP 128 - Aristotelian Society - the Baghdad School
A group of mostly Christian philosophers transpose the practices of antique Aristotelian philosophy to 10th century Baghdad.
HoP 127 - Peter E Pormann on Medicine in the Islamic World
A double dose of Peters, as Pormann joins Adamson to discuss medicine and philosophy in the Islamic world.
HoP 126 - High Five - al-Razi
The doctor and philosopher Abu Bakr al-Razi sets out a daring philosophical theory involving five eternal principles: God, soul, matter, time and place.
HoP 125 - Reasoned Belief - Saadia Gaon
Saadia Gaon draws on Greek philosophy and Islamic theology to provide a rational account of Jewish belief.
HoP 124 - The Chosen Ones - Judaism and Philosophy
The roots of Jewish philosophy in the Islamic world, focusing on the Rabbinic background in the Mishnah and Talmud, and the thought of early figures like Isaac Israeli.
HoP 123 - Philosopher of the Arabs - al-Kindi
Al-Kindī uses Hellenic materials to discuss the eternity of the world, divine attributes, and the nature of the soul.
HoP 122 - Founded in Translation - From Greek to Syriac and Arabic
Greek philosophy and science make their way into the Islamic world via Syriac and Arabic translations and interpretations.
HoP 121 - This is a Test - the Mutazilites
A first look at the philosophical contributions of Islamic theology (kalām) and its political context, focusing on the Muʿtazilites Abū l-Hudhayl and al-Naẓẓām.
HoP 120 - The Straight Path - Philosophy in the Islamic World
The rise of Islam creates a new context for philosophy not only among Muslims, but also Jews and Christians. .
HoP 119 - John Marenbon on Boethius
John Marenbon joins Peter to discuss Boethius' solution to the problem of divine foreknowledge.
HoP 118 - Fate, Hope and Clarity - Boethius
Boethius ushers in the medieval age with expert works on Aristotle, subtle treatises on theology, and the Consolation of Philosophy, written while he awaited execution.
HoP 117 - Born Again - Latin Platonism
Apuleius, Victorinus, Martianus Cappella, Macrobius and Calcidius present and interpret Platonic teachings for readers of Latin.
HoP 116 - Charles Brittain on Augustine's On the Trinity
In a final episode on Augustine, Charles Brittain joins Peter to discuss On the Trinity.
HoP 115 - Me, Myself and I - Augustine on Mind and Memory
In On the Trinity Augustine explores the human mind as an image of God.
HoP 114 - Sarah Byers on Augustine's Ethics
Peter speaks with Sarah Byers about the Stoic influence on Augustine's ethics and theory of action.
HoP 113 - Heaven and Earth - Augustine’s City of God
In his City of God Augustine traces the histories and philosophical underpinnings of two “cities,” one devoted to worldly glory, the other to heavenly bliss.
HoP 112 - Help Wanted - Augustine on Freedom
Augustine defends free will, but rejects the Pelagian claim that we can be good without God's help.
HoP 111 - Papa Don't Teach - Augustine on Language
Augustine argues that words are signs, but not signs that can bring us to knowledge.
HoP 110 - Life and Time - Augustine's Confessions
In the Confessions Augustine weaves autobiography with reflections on the nature of God, man, and time.
HoP 109 - Spreading the Word - the Latin Church Fathers
Tertullian, Lactantius, Jerome and Ambrose use and abuse Hellenic philosophy.