HISTORY OF ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY

The course of History of Islamic Philosophy is one of the supplementary training activities in the degree course. It aims to introduce the fundamental elements in the history of classical Arab-Islamic theological and philosophical thought, as a necessary complement to the study of history, Islamic religion and Islamic law, disciplines also foreseen in the course of studies. The specification "Classical Islam" is here needed since the period taken into consideration by the course in question includes approximately the centuries from the 8th to the 12th, i.e. starting from the period of the first theoretical debates and the reception of Greek works, up to the manifold philosophical elaboration of Averroes (d. 1198 AD).
The main objective is, first of all, to provide students with basic knowledge around the major themes and authors of the theological and philosophical tradition of classical Islam; an equally important goal is to make them aware of the theoretical interest in elaborations coming from a different cultural tradition; finally, especially if we think of students who have not previously received a philosophical training, the course aims to make them aware of the various ontological and ethical issues, and to educate them in developing a personal vision around the multiple issues related to man and its location in the universe.