University of St Andrews

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 30

ECTS credits : 15

Level : SCQF level 10

Semester: 2

Planned timetable: TBC

Is reason always opposed to faith? Is prophecy incompatible with a naturalistic account of knowledge? Must we believe in God without having rational proof? Between the 9th and 12th centuries, a powerful tradition of philosophy and rational theology developed in the Islamic world which took the answer to each of these questions to be ‘no’. This module will explore some of the central philosophical problems of this tradition, along with solutions to those problems offered by its most influential thinkers, such as al- Kindī, Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna), al-Ghazālī, and Ibn Rushd (Averroes). Topics may include: reason and revelation, essence and existence, arguments for God’s existence, knowledge, logic, the constitution of material objects, the eternity or non-eternity of the world, causality, the self, the properties of God, prophecy, miracles, free will and determinism, the problem of evil, the possibility of moral knowledge, the nature of moral properties, philosophy of law, and mysticism.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisite(s): Before taking this module you must pass PY1012

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: One 2-hour lecture and one 1-hour seminar weekly

Scheduled learning hours: 33

Guided independent study hours: 259

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: Coursework - 100%


Re-assessment: Coursework - 100%

Personnel

Module coordinator: Dr D N Ball
Module coordinator email db71@st-andrews.ac.uk

Intended learning outcomes

• demonstrate an awareness of some of the central thinkers and ideas of the Islamic philosophical tradition.
• interpret primary texts (in translation) of Islamic philosophy and evaluate whether those texts offer plausible solutions or insights to problems in contemporary philosophy.
• critically engage with secondary literature to inform their interpretations of Islamic philosophical texts.
• articulate and defend their own views of philosophical problems and solutions offered by Islamic writers both orally and in writing.