Department of Islamic Philosophy

About Us

     Islamic philosophy is the general name for the philosophical thought put forward by Muslim philosophers. In terms of being a philosophical thought, Islamic philosophy is no different from other philosophies. The term “philosophy” in Islamic philosophy means the same as it does in Greek philosophy, Indian philosophy, or modern philosophy; it is no different in terms of subject matter and method.

     The traditional philosophical thought called “Islamic philosophy” in Islamic culture is undoubtedly the richest and most extensive part of the Islamic cultural heritage. Without knowing the main lines and characteristics of this philosophical thought, it is quite difficult to make an assessment of Islamic culture in general. Without knowing this philosophical thought, it is impossible to fully understand certain theological, philosophical, and jurisprudential issues that are closely related to it and their structure.

     Islamic philosophy is also of great importance in the history of Western culture. Just as it is impossible to have a good understanding of Islamic philosophy and evaluate it within the history of general culture without knowing Classical Greek and Hellenistic philosophy, it is equally impossible to properly understand and evaluate Christian and Jewish philosophy, medieval philosophy, and modern philosophy up to the 18th century without knowing Islamic philosophy. This is because the influence of Islamic philosophy on Western philosophy is greater than commonly believed.

     Indeed, Islamic philosophy, when evaluated as a whole within its historical and doctrinal development, especially when it includes Sufi and theological thought, is a unique philosophy that raises entirely new issues and, along with these issues, offers new solutions to the problems of ancient Greek philosophy, with its Islamic character. Its eclectic nature does not prevent it from being original; as mentioned above, in fact, there is no philosophy or human thought that is not eclectic.

Academic Staff

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Enver DEMİRPOLAT