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In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Abstract

The place of philosophy in Iranian society is prominent. Philosophy is discussed in popular media as well as specialized journals, and in seminaries, research centers, and universities. Philosophy in Iran is often divided into Western and Islamic. Sometimes these are taken to be rivals. The methods of instruction differ to some extent, as well as the languages needed for advanced study. The question of the nature of Islamic philosophy is itself a controversial topic in Iran, and positions on this issue are often driven by ideological trends. The study of philosophy in the Islamic seminaries has its own history. Today Islamic philosophy may be considered a philosophical tradition that is being carried on with increasing interaction with the study of Western philosophy in Iran.

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Notes

  1. The interview was conducted by Christiane Hoffmann. Jun. 18, 2002, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 2002. (This translation made available through an email list on June 20, 2002).

  2. See Akbari (1384/2005).

  3. See www.mullasadra.org.

  4. See Soroush (2000).

  5. See Rudolf (2004), 8–9.

  6. See Razavi (1996).

  7. For a noteworthy exception, see the article by Sayyed Muhammad Khamenei, “Islamic philosophy and Chinese Culture,” http://www.mullasadra.org/new_site/english/Paper%20Bank/History%20of%20Philosophy/chaina.htm.

  8. E.g., Adamson and Richard (2004).

  9. See Nasr (1989).

  10. See the journal Islam & Science (first published in June, 2003), edited by Muzaffar Iqbal for the Center for Islam and Science in Canada, in which the views of Nasr, Golshani, and others may be found. Also see Golshani (1988), Golshani, ed., (1988), Nasr (1989), Nasr (1993).

  11. Oliver Leaman, “Islamic Philosophy,” in the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, CD V. 1.0., 1998.

  12. This view is also endorsed by Rudolf (2004), 10, and for the same reason.

  13. See Shafaghi (1998).

  14. See Algar (2006). In a number of sources the date given for Tabataba’i’s birth is 1892. This is an error and the correct date is 1904, as Algar reports.

  15. See Tehrani (1417/1996).

  16. Tabataba’i and Mutahhari (1376/1997).

  17. This has appeared in English translation by Sayyid ‘Ali Quli Qara’i as The Elements of Islamic Metaphysics, see Tabataba’i (2003).

  18. Misbah Yazdi (1999).

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  1. The Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute, Amin Blvd., Jumhuri Islami St, Qom, I.R. Iran

    Hajj Muhammad Legenhausen

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  1. Hajj Muhammad Legenhausen
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Correspondence to Hajj Muhammad Legenhausen.

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Legenhausen, H.M. Introduction. Topoi 26, 167–175 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11245-007-9021-0

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