Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul: The Pertinence of Islamic Cosmology in the Modern World

by William C. Chittick

Overview

Islamic Intellectualism is dead: or so argues William Chittick in this radical new book challenging modern trends in religious thought. Whilst many may say that Islamic studies thrives as a subject, Chittick points to the words of one of his former Professors when describing young colleagues: "they know everything one can possibly know about a text, except what it says". Indeed, Chittick states that it is impossible to understand ancient Islamic texts without the years of contemplative study that are anathema to the modern education system. While the modern intellectual with faith often treats their studies and faith in two seperate spheres, Chittick argues that it is essential to return to the ways of the ancient Sufis, who viewed knowledge of the soul, the world, and God as an extension of the same thing, and he bemoans the loss of the spiritual and intellectual highs of the Medieval Islamic period.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780744667
Publisher:	Oneworld Publications
Publication date:	10/01/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

William C. Chittick is professor of Persian Languages at Stony Brook University, New York. He is the author and translator of twenty-five books and one hundred articles on Islamic thought, Sufism, Shi'ism, and Persian literature, including Oneworld's Sufism: A Short Introduction.

William C. Chittick is professor of Persian Languages at Stony Brook University, New York. He is the author and translator of twenty-five books and one hundred articles on Islamic thought, Sufism, Shi'ism, and Persian literature.

Table of Contents

Introduction


1. A Vanishing Heritage


2. Intellectual Understanding


3. The Rehabilitation of Thought


4. Beyond Ideology


5. The Unseen Men


6. The Anthropocosmic Vision


7. The Search for Meaning