Winner of the Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion: Textual Studies from the American Academy of ReligionFakhr al-Din al-Razi (1148 - 1210) wrote prolifically in the disciplines of theology; Quranic exegesis; and philosophy. He composed treatises on jurisprudence; medicine; physiognomy; astronomy; and astrology. His body of work marks a momentous turning point in the Islamic tradition and his influence within the post-classical Islamic tradition is striking. After his death in 1210 his works became standard textbooks in Islamic institutions of higher learning. Razi investigates his transformative contributions to the Islamic intellectual tradition. One of the leading representatives of Sunni orthodoxy in medieval Islam; Razi was the first intellectual to exploit the rich heritage of ancient and Islamic philosophy to interpret the Quran. Jaffer uncovers Razi's boldly unconventional intellectual aspirations. The book elucidates the development of Razi's unique appropriation of methods and ideas from ancient and Islamic philosophy into a unified Quranic commentary--and consequently into the Sunni worldview.Jaffer shows that the genre of Quranic commentary in the post-classical period contains a wealth of philosophical material that is of major interest for the history of philosophical ideas in Islam and for the interaction of the aqli ("rational") and naqli ("traditional") sciences in Islamic civilization. Jaffer demonstrates the ways Razi reconciled the opposing intellectual trends of his milieu on major methodological conflicts. A highly original work; this book brilliantly repositions the central aims of Razi's intellectual program.
#428214 in Books 2014-11-12Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.40 x 2.20 x 9.40l; .0 #File Name: 0199925194880 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Very much in depth analysisBy Ivan PavlovA wonderful; if exceptionally long and detailed examination of the life of Pavlov. I have been to Pavlov's apartment in St. Petersburg and to Koltushi; and can find nothing wrong with Todes descriptions. Yet; I always wonder when I read biographies filled with many sentences like - He was feeling sad on the train ride -or- He was in great conflict about the affair. These are not real sentences from the book; but represent a common type of sentence in the book. Although Todes gives us the references for his descriptions; I wonder if we can truly understand internally felt emotions in another human being; that occurred many years ago; in a different language. But; to be fair; Todes notes in the beginning that this book is HIS analysis of Pavlov's life. With that said; it was an excellent read.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good; Detailed BioBy ExpatcalifornianGood bio of Pavlov. I wouldn't say it is a page turner; but it was interesting to read and provided a lot of information on his life and motivations. Not a lot of other sources out there on this subject; other that the ones that give a superficial review of his work.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A great and exhaustive bookBy Max TrudolyubovA great and exhaustive book. I am nether a doctor; nor a physiologist but the figure of Pavlov is super important in Russian history in the way he transcended scholarly boundaries and the Russian and Soviet ideological divisions. The guy was a true maverick. Pavlov is one of the faces of the original modernist Russian project that was mishandled and killed by Stalin.
