Lecturer
and author of Islamic philosophy and faculty member of Allameh Tabatabai
University said in an interview with Iran Book News Agency (IBNA): the number
of philosophy histories written by Muslims, is not low. The Philosophy History
by "M. M. Sharif", “Seyed Hussein Nasr", "Hana
Alfakhori" and "Majied Fakhri" are amongst them.
He
added: perhaps these books are useful as they present a report on philosophers’
lives and ideas, but the important point about these books is that none of them
have an analytical approach to philosophy. Therefore, through reading these
works, one cannot obtain the impacts of the social and political conditions on
the philosophers’ ideas and the reasons behind their thinking and attitudes
formation as well.
Pour
Hassan continued: This works are merely a handful of historical reports and do
not provide us with an analysis on the significant and influential orientations
of Islamic philosophers. For example, within these works, there is nothing
about whys of the Muslim philosophers’ separation from Greek idea and its
criticism by some philosophers like Sohrevardi. Most of ideas of Farabi and
Avicenna should be interpreted based on Iranian, Shiite and Bateni thinking,
whereas these points have been mentioned in none of the philosophy histories written
by Muslims.
He
knew the three-volume book entitled: "The Adventure of Philosophical
Thought in the Muslim World" by Ibrahimi Dinani as -to some extent- an
exceptional which enjoys the analytical approach and said: More than anything
else, this book analyzes ideas rather than paying attention to the reasons
behind the formation of those ideas and the impacts of social and political
conditions on the philosophers as well.
The
first chapter of the book, "We and The History of Islamic Philosophy”
written by Davri Ardakani takes also an analytical approach toward this
philosophical tradition. With this interpretation, however we see that lots of
important analytical issues have still remained unexplored.
Several
books should be written about various aspects of every individual philosopher’s
thought. We have to be able to investigate and analyze the different aspects of
Avicenna's thought in10 independent analytical books.
Regarding
the reasons behind the lack of analytical approach toward philosophical historiography
he said: the philosophy histories written by Muslims, philosophies, enjoy
mainly a reportage methodology and background. Writing an analytical history of
philosophy require some back grounds. For example, several books should be
written about various aspects of every individual philosopher’s thought. We
have to be able to investigate and analyze the different aspects of Avicenna's
thought in10 independent analytical books. In the history of philosophy cannot
possibly do such a thing, but if so, writing such works would serve as a strong
and powerful support for these works.
Pour
Hassan then presented a description about the function of domestic insight to
the Islamic philosophy and said: demystifying means to understand how the
previous philosophers’ thoughts can work for Iranian today's civilization. For
example, in this approach we can work on why and how Sohrevardi supported from
the Iranian and Shiite thoughts. If we are to revive philosophy within today’s
modern Iranian civilization, then the rationality elements of Farabi and
Avicenna can help us with our contemporary lives.
The
lecturer and author of Islamic philosophy did not accept that the philosophy
histories so far written by the Orientalists are necessarily the only resources
to be used by researchers and said: I reject the assumption that Muslims’
understanding of Islamic philosophy is exactly the same as those of
orientalists, rather we have a philosophical understanding of ourselves.
Considering
the major difference between the philosophy histories of Orientalists and of
Muslims he said: Orientalists consider the Islamic philosophers just as the
mere followers of Greek philosophy who has no innovation of their own selves.
Let alone, they even think that the Islamic philosophers’ innovations- if there
were any -are originated from Greek ones. In fact, they do not accept the
authenticity and originality of innovation in Islamic philosophy, and ignore
indeed about the importance of Shiite thoughts in philosophy. Orientalists also
call Islamic philosophy Arabic, while it were Iranians who more than any other
nations have all the time shouldered the border of this version of philosophy
in the region.
Source:
IBNA News Agency