The Cambridge Companion to Arabic Philosophy

By any reckoning this is a remarkable book. It is a truism to say that Arabic philosophy has been relatively neglected by mainstream scholarship (or, to put it another way, has been a specialist domain for a long time). Mixed as it is with a tradition of translation and adaptation of Greek classics like Aristotle's Metaphysics and the Neoplatonism of Plotinus, and with the theology of mainstream Islam, it remains a complex and elusive field for many readers. The Companion defines “Arabic philosophy” as that tradition which, while it includes many Islamic thinkers, extends beyond just that, but also beyond...