The Principles of Epistemology in Islamic Philosophy: Knowledge by Presence

SUNY Series in Islam

by Mehdi Ha'iri Yazdi

This book aims to present to western philosophers the most important theme in Islamic epistemology: knowledge by presence, the knowledge that results from immediate and intuitive awarenes, advocated by the author as a viable modern philosophical position. Treating the subject in a thoroughly philosophical manner that is comprehensible to contemporary analytical philosophers, he remains faithful to the Islamic tradition.

Genres: Islam, Philosophy

246 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1992

Reviews

[Dan DalMonte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, clearly and vigorously written. Yazdi develops the doctrine of knowledge by presence, derived mainly from the work of Suwrawardi (probably mispelling). Knowledge by presence is an intuitive knowledge of the self, that underlies knowledge we derive through concepts united to sensible intuitions, i.e. knowledge by representation. There is a circularity in consciousness, such that we can have no knowledge at all but for an awareness of the I. We can join knowledge by presence to mystical traditions about the union of the self and God to develop a rational basis for mystical experience. Mystical experience does not have to be a mere speculation about an unknown noumenal realm.