History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps
Episodes
HoP 198 - Grace Notes - Eriugena and the Predestination Controversy
16 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
John Scotus Eriugena debates free will with his rival Gottschalk, arguing that God predestines the saved but not the damned.
HoP 197 - Charles in Charge - The Carolingian Renaissance
09 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Alcuin leads a resurgence of interest in philosophy and the liberal arts at the court of Charlemagne.
HoP 196 - Arts of Darkness - Introduction to Medieval Philosophy
03 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Peter launches the series of podcasts on philosophy in medieval Latin Christendom with a look ahead at what’s to come.
HoP 195 - Anke von Kügelgen on Contemporary Islamic Thought
26 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Anke von Kügelgen joins Peter to discuss developments over the last century or so, including attitudes towards past thinkers like Avicenna, Averroes ...
HoP 194 - Iran So Far - After Ṣadrā
19 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
From Sabzawārī in the 19th century to Seyyed Hossein Nasr today, Iranian thinkers promote and respond to the thought of Mullā Ṣadrā.
HoP 193 - All for One and One for All - Muḥammad 'Abdūh and Muḥammad Iqbāl
12 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Muḥammad 'Abdūh and Muḥammad Iqbāl challenge colonialism and the traditional religious scholars of Islam.
HoP 192 - The Stronger Sex - Women Scholars and Islam
06 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Fatema Mernissi and others challenge the long-standing (but not complete) exclusion of women from the intellectual traditions of Islam.
HoP 191 - The Young Ones: Encounters with European Thought
03 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
18th and 19th century intellectuals in India and the Ottoman empire, from Shāh Walī Allāh to the Young Turks, continue Islamic traditions and grapp...
HoP 190 - Turkish Delights - Philosophy under the Ottomans
24 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Kātib Çelebi defends cigarettes and coffee, in just one of several philosophical and religious debates in the Ottoman empire.
HoP 189 - Subcontinental Drift - Philosophy in Islamic India
17 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Ideas spread to Mughal India from Iran, and prince Dārā Shikūh seeks to unite the wisdom of the Upanishads with the Koran.
HoP 188 - Sajjad Rizvi on Mulla Sadra
10 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Sajjad Rizvi talks to Peter about Mullā Ṣadrā's views on eternity, God's knowledge and the afterlife.
HoP 187 - Return to Sender - Mulla Sadra on Motion and Knowledge
03 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Mullā Ṣadrā proposes that all things are like sharks: in constant motion.
HoP 186 - To Be, Continued - Mulla Sadra on Existence
27 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Mullā Ṣadrā, greatest thinker of early modern Iran, unveils his radical new understanding of existence.
HoP 185 - Follow the Leader - Philosophy under the Safavids
20 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Philosophy in Safavid Iran, and a look back at earlier philosophy among Shiites.
HoP 184 - Robert Wisnovsky on Commentary Culture
13 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Wisnovsky joins Peter to discuss the enormous body of unstudied philosophical commentaries in the later Eastern Islamic world.
HoP 183 - Family Feud - Philosophy at Shiraz
06 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The roots of the Safavid philosophical tradition in some rather ill-tempered debates at Shīrāz.
HoP 182 - Aftermath - Philosophy and Science in the Mongol Age
29 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Philosophy and science survive and even thrive through the coming of the Mongols.
HoP 181 - By the Book - Ibn Taymiyya
22 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The controversial jurist Ibn Taymiyya sets forth an originalist theory of law and a searching criticism of the philosophers’ logic.
HoP 180 - Proof Positive - The Logical Tradition
16 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Later Islamic logicians try to solve the Liar Paradox and take on the advances of Avicenna's logic.
HoP 179 - Mohammed Rustom on Philosophical Sufism
08 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Peter is joined by Mohammed Rustom in a discussion about Sufi authors including Ibn 'Arabī and Rūmī
HoP 178 - Eyes Wide Shut - Rumi and Philosophical Sufism
01 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Persian poet Rūmī and mystical philosopher al-Qūnawī carry on the legacy of Sufism.
HoP 177 - To Be or Not to Be - Debating Avicenna’s Metaphysics
24 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Avicenna’s distinction between essence and existence triggers a running debate among philosophers and theologians.
HoP 176 - A Man for all Seasons - al-Tusi
18 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī’s controversial career sees him adopt and then abandon Ismāʿīlism, team up with the Mongols, and offer a staunch def...
HoP 175 - Bright Ideas - Illuminationism
11 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Illuminationists carry on Suhrawardī’s critique of “Peripatetic” philosophy and wonder if they will be reborn as giraffes.
HoP 174 - Leading Light - Suhrawardi
04 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Suhrawardī, founder of the Illuminationist (ishrāqī) tradition, proposes a metaphysics of light on the basis of his theory of knowledge by presence
HoP 173 - For the Sake of Argument - Fakhr al-Din al-Razi
27 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The hugely influential Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī weaves Avicenna and Islamic theology into complex dialectical treatments of time, God, the soul, and et...
HoP 172 - All Things Considered - Abu l-Barakat al-Baghdadi
19 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Abū l-Barakāt al-Baghdādī makes up his own mind about physics and the soul, and along the way inaugurates a new style of doing philosophy.
HoP 171 - Golden Ages - The Later Eastern Traditions
13 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
An introduction to later developments in philosophical theology, sufism, and Illuminationism, focusing on the reception and critique of Avicenna.
HoP 170 - Gad Freudenthal on Jewish Philosophy and Science
06 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Leading scholar of medieval Jewish thought Gad Freudenthal joins Peter in a concluding episode on Andalusian thought.
HoP 169 - A Matter of Principles - Albo and Abravanel
30 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Joseph Albo and Isaac Abravanel critique Maimonides’ attempt to lay down foundations for the Jewish law.
HoP 168 - Chariot of Fire - Kabbalah
23 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The rich symbolism of the Zohar and the spiritual practices of Abraham Abluafia feature in the mystical movement known as Kabbalah.
HoP 167 - When Bad Things Happen to Good People - Suffering in Jewish Philosophy
16 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The Book of Job provokes Saadia, Maimonides, Ibn Tibbon and Gersonides to reflect on why God allows suffering.
HoP 166 - Tamar Rudavsky on Gersonides and Crescas
09 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Tamar Rudavsky joins Peter to talk about the two great medieval Jewish thinkers after Maimonides: Gersonides and Crescas.
HoP 165 - Neither the Time Nor the Place - Hasdai Crescas
02 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Ḥasdai Crescas shows Aristotelian physics who’s boss, by defending alternative conceptions of time, place and infinity.
HoP 164 - Man and Superman - Gersonides and the Jewish Reaction to Averroes
23 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The super-commentator Gersonides and other Jews digest the ideas of Averroes.
HoP 163 - Burnt Offerings - The Maimonides Controversy
16 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Maimonides’ works provoke a bitter dispute among Jews in France and Spain over the relation of philosophy to Judaism.
HoP 162 - Sarah Stroumsa on Maimonides
08 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Maimonides as a "Mediterranean thinker": Peter is joined by Sarah Stroumsa.
HoP 161 - He Moves in Mysterious Ways - Maimonides on Eternity
02 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Maimonides tries to settle the eternity of the world debate by declaring a draw.
HoP 160 - The Great Eagle - Maimonides
26 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The great Jewish philosopher and legal scholar Maimonides, and the ideas in his Mishneh Torah and Guide for the Perplexed.
HoP 159 - With All Your Heart - Ethics and Judaism
19 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Baḥya Ibn Paquda and Maimonides explore the ethical dimension of the Jewish scriptures and legal tradition.
HoP 158 - Born Under a Bad Sign - Freedom and Astrology in Jewish Philosophy
12 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Abraham Ibn Ezra, Ibn Daud and Maimonides consider the philosophical implications of astrology as science flourishes in the Jewish culture of Andalusi...
HoP 157 - Choosing My Religion - Judah Hallevi
05 Jan 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Judah Hallevi argues that Judaism has a better claim to belief than philosophy, Christianity, or Islam.
HoP 156 - Sarah Pessin on Jewish Neoplatonism
29 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Peter chats with Sarah Pessin about the Neoplatonism of Jewish philosophers such as Isaac Israeli, Ibn Gabirol, and Maimonides.
HoP 155 - Matter over Mind - Ibn Gabirol
22 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Neoplatonism returns in Ibn Gabriol, who controversially holds that everything apart from God has both matter and form.
HoP 154 - The Philosophy of History - Ibn Khaldun
15 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The historian Ibn Khaldūn applies the methods of philosophy to understand the rise and fall of political regimes.
HoP 153 - A Matter of Taste – Ibn Arabi and Mysticism
08 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Sufism, the mystical tradition of Islam, collides with philosophy in the work of Ibn ʿArabī.
HoP 152 - Richard Taylor on Averroes
01 Dec 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Averroes scholar Richard C. Taylor joins Peter to talk about Averroes' views on the relation between Islam and philosophy.
HoP 151 - Single Minded - Averroes on the Intellect
24 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Averroes defends the rather surprising notion that all of mankind shares a single intellect.
HoP 150 - Charles Burnett and Dag N Hasse on Arabic Latin Translations
17 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
A special 150th double interview episode on the transmission of philosophy from Arabic into Latin.
HoP 149 - Back to Basics - Averroes on Reason and Religion
09 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
An introduction to “the Commentator” Averroes, and his defense of philosophy in the Decisive Treatise.
HoP 148 - Fantasy Island - Ibn Bajja and Ibn Tufayl
03 Nov 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Intellect and alienation in Ibn Bājja and Ibn Ṭufayl, author of the philosophical desert island castaway tale “Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān.”
HoP 147 - Laying Down the Law – Ibn Hazm and Islamic Legal Theory
27 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The development of Islamic law and jurisprudence (fiqh), and the many-sided output of the legal theorist Ibn Ḥazm.
HoP 146 - Philosophy's Reign in Spain - Andalusia
20 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The flowering of philosophy among Muslims and Jews in al-Andalus (Muslim-controlled Spain and Portugal).
HoP 145 - Frank Griffel on al-Ghazali
13 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Why did al-Ghazālī judge "the philosophers" to be apostates? Peter finds out from Frank Griffel.
HoP 144 - Miracle Worker - al-Ghazali against the Philosophers
06 Oct 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In his “Incoherence of the Philosophers,” al-Ghazālī attacks Avicenna’s theories about the eternity of the universe and insists on the possibi...
HoP 143 - Special Delivery - al-Ghazali
29 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Al-Ghazālī’s search for truth leads him to philosophy, Asharite theology, and ultimately the mystical tradition of Sufism.
HoP 142 - Dimitri Gutas on Avicenna
22 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Peter talks to Dimitri Gutas about Avicenna's sources, philosophical methods, and influence.
HoP 141 - Into Thin Air - Avicenna on the Soul
15 Sep 2013
Contributed by Lukas
With his Flying Man argument, Avicenna explores self-awareness and the relation between soul and body.
HoP 140 - By All Means Necessary - Avicenna on God
04 Aug 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Avicenna’s proof of the Necessary Existent is ingenious and influential; but does it amount to a proof of God’s existence?
HoP 139 - By the Time I Get to Phoenix - Avicenna on Existence
28 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Avicenna revolutionizes metaphysics with groundbreaking ideas about necessity and contingency, and his new distinction between essence and existence.
HoP 138 - The Self-Made Man - Avicenna's Life and Works
21 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Despite a tumultuous life, Avicenna manages to become the most influential of all medieval philosophers.
HoP 137 - God Willing – the Asharites
14 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
07 Jul 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
30 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Miskawayh, al-‘Amiri, al-Tawhidi, the Brethren of Purity and Ismaili missionaries bring together philosophy with Persian culture, literature and Isl...
HoP 134 - Balancing Acts - Arabic Ethical Literature
23 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
16 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
09 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
02 Jun 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
26 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
19 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
12 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
05 May 2013
Contributed by Lukas
A double dose of Peters, as Pormann joins Adamson to discuss medicine and philosophy in the Islamic world.
HoP 126 - High Five - al-Razi
28 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
The doctor and philosopher Abu Bakr al-Razi sets out a daring philosophical theory involving five eternal principles: God, soul, matter, time and plac...
HoP 125 - Reasoned Belief - Saadia Gaon
21 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
14 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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 l...
HoP 123 - Philosopher of the Arabs - al-Kindi
07 Apr 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
30 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
24 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
A first look at the philosophical contributions of Islamic theology (kalām) and its political context, focusing on the Muʿtazilites Abū l-Hudhayl a...
HoP 120 - The Straight Path - Philosophy in the Islamic World
16 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
10 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
John Marenbon joins Peter to discuss Boethius' solution to the problem of divine foreknowledge.
HoP 118 - Fate, Hope and Clarity - Boethius
03 Mar 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Boethius ushers in the medieval age with expert works on Aristotle, subtle treatises on theology, and the Consolation of Philosophy, written while he ...
HoP 117 - Born Again - Latin Platonism
24 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
17 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
09 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In On the Trinity Augustine explores the human mind as an image of God.
HoP 114 - Sarah Byers on Augustine's Ethics
03 Feb 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
27 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
In his City of God Augustine traces the histories and philosophical underpinnings of two “cities,” one devoted to worldly glory, the other to heav...
HoP 112 - Help Wanted - Augustine on Freedom
20 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
13 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
Augustine argues that words are signs, but not signs that can bring us to knowledge.
HoP 110 - Life and Time - Augustine's Confessions
06 Jan 2013
Contributed by Lukas
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
30 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Tertullian, Lactantius, Jerome and Ambrose use and abuse Hellenic philosophy.
HoP 108 - George Boys-Stones on the Greek Church Fathers
23 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
George Boys-Stones joins Peter to discuss philosophy in the Bible and the Greek Fathers.
HoP 107 - Practice Makes Perfect - Christian Asceticism
16 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Christian ascetics like Antony, Macrina and Evagrius create a new ethical ideal by pushing the human capacity for self-control to its limits.
HoP 106 - Double or Nothing - Maximus the Confessor
09 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
The early Byzantine thinker Maximus uses Aristotle to defend the orthodox view of Christ's two natures
HoP 105 - Naming the Nameless - the Pseudo-Dionysius
02 Dec 2012
Contributed by Lukas
A mysterious author calling himself Dionysius fuses Neoplatonism with Christianity
HoP 104 - Let's Talk Turkey - the Cappadocians
25 Nov 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Basil of Caesarea, his brother Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus use philosophy to help the poor and to defeat their theological opponents
HoP 103 - Fall and Rise - Origen
17 Nov 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Origen of Alexandria weaves Platonic ideas into new and controversial theological ideas
HoP 102 - Please Accept Our Apologies - the Greek Church Fathers
11 Nov 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Irenaeus, Clement and Justin Martyr consider the relevance of philosophy for Christianity
HoP 101 - Father Figures - Introduction to Ancient Christian Philosophy
04 Nov 2012
Contributed by Lukas
An overview of what the Church Fathers contributed to ancient philosophy
HoP 100 - Michael Trapp and Caroline Humfress on Ancient Culture and Philosophy
28 Oct 2012
Contributed by Lukas
A special double interview celebrates reaching 100 episodes by looking at the cultural status of philosophy in the ancient world
HoP 099 - Richard Sorabji on the Commentators
21 Oct 2012
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Sorabji joins Peter to discuss the ancient commentators on Aristotle