Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka & Nazif Muhtaroglu 
Classic Issues in Islamic Philosophy and Theology Today 

With some exceptions, there is not a real interest in Islamic philosophy and t- ology in Western institutions today. This largely ignored area has the potential to present enlightening insights into the development of the Western thought and to contribute to contemporary discussions in philosophy and theology in general. Scholars working in Islamic thought usually focus on its medieval background and consider it to be mainly of a historical interest and far away from the intellectual world of today. Showing its contemporary relevance is an important task by which the status of Islamic philosophy can be elevated to its proper station. By considering these points in mind, the University of Kentucky organized an international graduate student conference on Islamic philosophy and the- ogy with an emphasis on its contemporary relevance which was held between the 28th and 30th September 2007. This book emerged out of the conf- ence by adding more chapters relevant to the main theme of the book. This book presents analyses and discussions of different topics in Islamic philo- phy and theology by relating them to contemporary debates and ideas in four main areas: epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of religion and value t- ory. There are ten chapters in sum. Some of the chapters are written by graduate students and some of them by experienced scholars. Each chapter presents c- siderable insight into its relevant topic but does not represent the opinion of anybody except the author.

Table of Content

Section I.- An Internalist Model of Immediate Awareness of God From an Islamic Philosophy Perspective.- On the Prospects of an Islamic Externalist Account of Warrant.- Section II.- An Occasionalist Defence of Free Will.- Revelation and Reason: Ibn ‘Arabi’s Sufism and G.W. Leibniz’s Idealism.- Iqbal on Self and Privacy: A Critical Analysis in the Light of Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations.- Section III.- Who is the God of the Qur’an? A Medieval Islamic Debate and Contemporary Philosophy of Religion.- Nursi on Theodicy: A New Theological Perspective.- Section IV.- Poetry and the Emotions in Islamic Philosophy.- A Discussion of the Aesthetic Views of Ibn Sina and Aristotle on the Basis of Aesthetic Value.- Translating Male-Oriented Philosophical Works for a Multi-Gender Society.