The Reception of Avicennan Philosophy in the Twelfth Century: Al-Mas'udi's Doubts on Avicenna

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This project explores one of the most pivotal yet understudied phases in the history of medieval Arabic philosophy. Concentrating on the recently-identified 'Ghazalian' current, which took its cue from al-Ghazali's (d. 1111) criticism of the philosophical tradition in his 'Incoherence of the Philosophers', it investigates (i) the reception of the philosophical system of Avicenna (d. 1037), the most important medieval Arabic philosopher, and (ii) its interaction with Ash'ari theology in the east of the Muslim world during the twelfth century. This period marks the transition from the 'classical' phase of Arabic philosophy and Islamic theology to the 'post-classical' phase characterised by the rise and dominance of a tradition of philosophical theology, which continued to thrive until the early modern period.The main outcome of the project will be a monograph that concentrates on the most important text representing this Ghazalian current. Written by Sharaf al-Din al-Mas'udi (d. ca. 1190), a key but hitherto-unstudied figure, the 'Doubts on the Pointers' is the first in a long series of commentaries on Avicenna's widely-read philosophical work the 'Pointers'. Al-Mas'udi's book consists of critical commentaries on selected sections from the physical and metaphysical parts of the 'Pointers', and exhibits the influence of earlier critics of Avicenna, particularly al-Ghazali and the philosopher Abu l-Barakat al-Baghdadi (d. 1165). Rejecting several major Avicennan doctrines and arguments (especially concerning psychology and perception, hylomorphism and the nature of the Necessary Existent) the author proposes alternative, philosophically interesting theories, which ultimately serve to harmonise Avicennan philosophy with, and to integrate it in, the Ash'ari theological system.Al-Mas'udi and his commentary were, in turn, deeply influential on his younger contemporary Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 1210), with whom he associated and debated on several occasions. Al-Razi, nonetheless, became intensely critical of the Ghazalian current and went on to develop his own sophisticated and systematic synthesis, which to a great extent set the main parameters for the later philosophico-theological tradition. The historical interest of al-Mas'udi's text, therefore, stems from the fact that it constitutes a key link that reveals a gradual development between the philosophical and theological activities taking place in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries and those we then encounter in the late twelfth century and beyond.The planned monograph will comprise a critical edition of al-Mas'udi's book and an interpretive study of the text. The interpretive study will contextualise the work, assess its historical significance, and offer an in-depth historico-analytical commentary on its philosophical contents.