The Classical Heritage in Islam

Cover......Page 1
Title page......Page 4
ISBN 0-415-07693-5 (Print Edition)......Page 5
CONTENTS......Page 6
PLATES (here moved to the end)......Page 14
FIGURES......Page 15
PREFACE......Page 16
A NOTE ON THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION......Page 20
1. HISTORICAL AND IDEOLOGICAL MOTIVES......Page 22
2. THE TRANSLATORS......Page 26
3. WHAT WAS TRANSLATED?......Page 30
4. THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MUSLIM ADOPTION OF THE CLASSICAL HERITAGE......Page 33
I - TRANSLATION TECHNIQUE AND TEXTUAL CRITICISM......Page 36
The two methods of translation......Page 38
Poems are untranslatable......Page 39
Technical terminology......Page 40
Manuscripts and textual criticism......Page 41
The translation of the Sophistic[i Elenchi]......Page 42
II - BIOGRAPHY AND CULTURAL HISTORY......Page 45
Biographies of Greek scholars......Page 49
The history of scholarship among the Greeks......Page 59
The greatness of the Greek achievement......Page 64
A characterization of the Byzantines......Page 65
How the Arabs became acquainted with the Greek heritage......Page 66
III - THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE SCIENCES AND METHODS OF RESEARCH AND TEACHING......Page 73
The classification of the sciences......Page 75
On the collaboration of sciences......Page 83
Islam and the sciences......Page 84
The scientific method of research......Page 91
The Greek educational system......Page 93
IV - PHILOSOPHY......Page 95
A. LOGIC......Page 96
1. From the Arabic translation of Analytica Priora 24a–b......Page 97
2. The use of logic......Page 99
3. A fatwā of the fourteenth-century religious scholar Taqī-ad-dīn as-Subkī......Page 102
B. ETHICS......Page 103
1. Eudaimonia as the goal of ethics......Page 105
2. The first book of Galen’s Ethics......Page 106
3. Excerpts from a general survey of ethics - From Miskawaih, Tahdhib al-akhlāq......Page 115
4. The nature of pleasure - Excerpts in Persian from ar-Rāzī’s treatise on pleasure......Page 124
5. About Eros......Page 127
7. Professional ethics - From Plessner’s edition of Bryson......Page 129
8. Plato on politics - The beginning of the first book of al-Fārābī, Compendium Legum Platonis......Page 130
9. From Abū l-Hasan b. Abī Dharr, Kitāb as-Sa\'adah, ed. Minovi.......Page 132
10. Aristotle on the forms of government - From the Arabic translation of the Nicomachean Ethics 1160a 31–1161a 4......Page 133
11. A brief summary of the contents of al-Fārābī, ahl al-madīnah (The Ideal State)......Page 135
12. Practical politics: warfare and fame - From the exchange of political views between Aristotle and Alexander......Page 137
13. Wise sayings - The Arabic version of the Pythagorean ‘Chrysā Epē’ as quoted by Miskawaih\r......Page 139
14. Sayings of the sages on Alexander’s death......Page 141
15. The chapter on ‘Sayings by a number of philosophers known by name for none of whom enough sayings are recorded to make a special chapter possible’......Page 145
C. METAPHYSICS......Page 165
1. The First Mover and the intellect - From Alexander of Aphrodisias, The Principles of the Universe......Page 167
2. From Ibn Rushd’s commentary on the Lambda of the Metaphysics 1073a 3–10......Page 170
3. From the Liber de causis, ed. O.Bardenhewer, Die pseudoaristotelische Schrift Über das reine Gute......Page 172
4. The soul’s vision of the divine world - From the Arabic Plotinus tradition according to the Theology of Aristotle......Page 175
5. Divine Providence - Chapter XVIII, About Eternal Providence, of the Metaphysics of al-Baghdādī......Page 177
V - NATURAL SCIENCE......Page 183
1. The subject of natural science - From Abū l-Barakāt Hibatallāh al-Baghdādī......Page 184
2. The problem of movement according to Abū l-Barakāt......Page 185
3. Views on the vacuum (Abū l-Barakāt)......Page 193
4. Problems of meteorology - Excerpts from a work of Theophrastus......Page 197
VI - MEDICINE......Page 203
1. The Hippocratic Oath......Page 204
2. The medical Nomos of Hippocrates......Page 205
3. The testament of Hippocrates known by the title ‘The Arrangement of Medicine’......Page 206
4. An explanation of the first aphorism of Hippocrates by Ibn Hindū......Page 207
6. The foundation of medical knowledge: Theory or empiricism? - Galen, On Medical Experience......Page 208
7. Anatomy -  On the vivisection of animals from the ninth book of Galen’s large work on anatomy......Page 213
8. Pharmacology - The special problems of the adoption by the Muslims of ancient pharmacology......Page 215
10. Some fragments of Rufus of Ephesus......Page 218
11. Veterinary medicine - From the hippiatric work of Theomnestus......Page 225
1. In explanation of Euclid’s Geometry - From the commentary of an-Nairīzī......Page 227
2. Even and odd numbers - Nicomachus of Gerasa, 13,7–14,12 Hoche......Page 231
3. The theory of vision - The beginning of Euclid’s Optics......Page 232
VIII - GEOGRAPHY AND ASTRONOMY......Page 234
1. Ptolemy’s Geography rearranged - A brief excerpt......Page 235
2. The measurement of the circumference of the earth under al-Ma\'mun - From al-Bīrūnī\'s Tahdid......Page 236
3. The earth does not move - The seventh chapter of the introduction to Ptolemy’s great astronomical work......Page 237
1. On the history of musicology and on music appreciation - Fragments from a work by as-Sarakhsī on music......Page 245
3. Greek musical instruments - From al-Khuwārizmī......Page 249
4. From al-Kindī, Kitāb al-Musauwitat......Page 250
1. The report of Archimedes’s famous discovery of the balance......Page 252
2. A lion spitting water or wine - From Philo of Byzantium......Page 253
3. A whistling waterwheel - Philo, no. 62......Page 255
4. The hydraulic organ - A musical instrument as described by Muristus......Page 256
XI - THE OCCULT SCIENCES......Page 260
1. From the astrological ‘Pentateuchos’ of Dorotheus......Page 261
2. The influence of the stars on the character of the Eastern peoples......Page 264
3. The introduction of the ‘Secret of Creation’ - From the Sirr al-khalīqah attributed to Balinas = Apollonius of Tyana......Page 267
4. The Tabula Smaragdina - From Sirr al-khalīqah......Page 268
5. The Book of the Monk - The preparation of the philosophers’ stone......Page 269
6. Polemo on physiognomy......Page 272
7. Physiognomist and philosopher - The famous anecdote about Zopyrus and Socrates......Page 275
XII - LITERATURE AND ART......Page 276
Legendary themes......Page 277
Greek wisdom in Arabic verses......Page 282
Classical jokes......Page 284
Painting in baths......Page 286
NOTES......Page 288
INDEX......Page 302