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Andreas Lammer

Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies (Institut für Arabistik und Islamwissenschaft), Faculty Member

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Andreas Lammer is Professor of Arabic Studies with a focus on the History of Knowledge at Ruhr University Bochum in Germany. His primary research interests are in Greek, Arabic, and Latin natural philosophy in both the Aristotelian and the Avicennian tradition, and – more broadly – in the transmission of philosophical and scientific literature and practices from Greek into Arabic and from Arabic into Latin. His publications include a monograph on the history of Greek and Arabic natural philosophy entitled “The Elements of Avicenna’s Physics: Greek Sources and Arabic Innovations” (De Gruyter 2018), a translation of al-Ġazālī’s celebrated “Incoherence of the Philosophers” (Herder 2024), and various papers on philosophy and the sciences in antiquity and the Arabic world. Since 2024, he has been the principal investigator of “Avicenna Live: The Immediate Context of Avicenna’s Intellectual Formation” (ERC Starting Grant 2023).
Phone: +49 234 3225 126
Address: Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Institut für Arabistik und Islamwissenschaft, Universitätsstraße 150, 44780 Bochum

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Universität Leipzig

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Academy of Athens

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Projects by Andreas Lammer

Avicenna Live: The Immediate Context of Avicenna's Intellectual Formation (ALIVE) [ERC Starting Grant 2024–2028]

ALIVE explores a unique set of essential yet hitherto widely neglected source texts for the immed... more

Books by Andreas Lammer

Abū Ḥāmid al-Ġazālī, Die Inkohärenz der Philosophen: Eine Auswahl, Arabisch – Deutsch (The Incoherence of the Philosophers: A Selection, Arabic – German) [2024]

Herders Bibliothek der Philosophie des Mittelalters 55. Freiburg: Herder, 2024

The “Incoherence of the Philosophers” (completed in early 488/1095) is al-Ġazālī’s most famous – ... more The “Incoherence of the Philosophers” (completed in early 488/1095) is al-Ġazālī’s most famous – indeed infamous – work. In 20 chapters, he subjects the fundamental concepts of his philosophical contemporaries and predecessors to critical scrutiny and rejects the claim to absoluteness of their supposedly irrefutable conclusions. In doing so, he creates an impressive synthesis of critical thinking and the unwavering defence of religious claims. This book provides a selection of the most important chapters of the work in an accurate but readable translation. A detailed introduction draws the reader’s attention to the intricacies in reading al-Ġazālī and pays tribute to the often underestimated complexity of his thought.

Verschränkte Welt: Medien, Modelle und Diskurse mittelalterlicher Meteorologie (Entangled World: Media, Models, and Discourses of Medieval Meteorology) [2024]

Das Mittelalter: Perspektiven mediävistischer Forschung 29.1. Heidelberg: Heidelberg University Publishing, 2024

In view of the wealth of medieval sources that depict, describe, or otherwise discuss meteorologi... more In view of the wealth of medieval sources that depict, describe, or otherwise discuss meteorological topics, the editors of this inter- and transdisciplinary special issue have invited various colleagues to investigate and demonstrate how meteorological phenomena were sometimes the starting point and sometimes the goal of theory formation in different cultures and periods of the so-called Middle Ages. The studies collected here bring to light the comprehensive existential significance of meteorology as a pre-modern science and endeavour.

Alkmaion von Kroton, Hippon von Metapont und Menestor von Sybaris (Alcmaeon of Croton, Hippo of Metapontum, and Menestor of Sybaris, edited by Georg Wöhrle in collaboration with Theofanis Tsiampokalos, with contributions by Andreas Lammer) [2022]

by Theofanis Tsiampokalos and Andreas Lammer

Traditio Praesocratica 4. Berlin and Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2022

The fourth volume of the series contains the Greek, Latin, and Arabic testimonies – from the four... more The fourth volume of the series contains the Greek, Latin, and Arabic testimonies – from the fourth century BC to the late Middle Ages – on the life and teachings of the three Ancient Greek philosophers Alcmaeon, Hippon, and Menestor in chronological order and with a German translation. While Alcmaeon of Croton received attention due to his theories on the physiology of the senses (theories he might have formed on the basis of empirical evidence), Hippon of Metapont (?) was known to later authors mainly because of his epithet describing him as 'godless.' Menestor of Sybaris, on the other hand, appears in Theophrastus' botanical works, in which he is portrayed as a respectable predecessor of botanic research. All testimonies are provided with short contextual information on the respective source and furnished with thematically ordered references, which help trace the transmission and the reception contexts.

Received Opinions: Doxography in Antiquity and the Islamic World [2022]

Philosophia antiqua: A Series of Studies on Ancient Philosophy 160. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2022

This volume – the proceedings of a 2018 conference at LMU Munich funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foun... more This volume – the proceedings of a 2018 conference at LMU Munich funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation – brings together, for the rst time, experts on Greek, Syriac, and Arabic traditions of doxography. Fourteen contributions provide new insight into state-of-the-art contemporary research on the widespread phenomenon of doxography. Together, they demonstrate how Greek, Syriac, and Arabic forms of doxography share common features and raise related questions that benefit interdisciplinary exchange among colleagues from various disciplines, such as classics, Arabic studies, and the history of philosophy.

The Elements of Avicenna's Physics: Greek Sources and Arabic Innovations [2018]

Scientia graeco-arabica 20. Berlin and Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2018

This study is the first comprehensive analysis of the physical theory of the Islamic philosopher ... more This study is the first comprehensive analysis of the physical theory of the Islamic philosopher Avicenna (d. 1037). It seeks to understand his contribution against the developments within the preceding Greek and Arabic intellectual milieus, and to appreciate his philosophy as such by emphasising his independence as a critical and systematic thinker. Exploring Avicenna’s method of "teaching and learning," it investigates the implications of his account of the natural body as a three-dimensionally extended composite of matter and form, and examines his views on nature as a principle of motion and his analysis of its relation to soul. Moreover, it demonstrates how Avicenna defends the Aristotelian conception of place against the strident criticism of his predecessors, among other things, by disproving the existence of void and space. Finally, it sheds new light on Avicenna’s account of the essence and the existence of time. For the first time taking into account the entire range of Avicenna’s major writings, this study fills a gap in our understanding both of the history of natural philosophy in general and of the philosophy of Avicenna in particular.

Winner of the BRAIS-De Gruyter Prize 2017:
http://www.brais.ac.uk/prize/2017-announcement

Winner of the Bavarian Culture Prize 2017:
https://www.bayernwerk.de/content/dam/revu-global/bayernwerk/documents/ueber-bayernwerk/engagement/kultur-und-tradition/kulturpreis-bayern/2017/pm-uni/KB2017_Andreas_Lammer_LMU_Muenchen.pdf

Winner of the World Award for Book of the Year 2020:
http://bookaward.ir/NewsDetails-En/1047/Report-On-the-27th-I-R--Iran-World-Award-for-Book-of-the-Year

Papers by Andreas Lammer

What Goes up Must Come down: The Water Cycle in Early Arabic Meteorology [2024]

by Colin Fitzpatrick Murtha and Andreas Lammer

In: The Elements in the Medieval World: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, vol. 1: Water. Edited by Marilina Cesario, Hugh Magennis, and Elisa Ramazzina. Elements, Nature, Environment: Multidisciplinary Perspectives from the Ancient to the Early Modern World 1. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2024

Investigating a number of key texts that were available in Arabic to the beginning of the elevent... more Investigating a number of key texts that were available in Arabic to the beginning of the eleventh century, this contribution focuses on the water cycle before Avicenna (d. 428/1037) entered the stage, composed his own Meteorology, and transformed the tradition. In order to assess the prevalent ideas on the hydrological circle, we shall examine (1) rising water, (2) falling water, (3) flowing water, and (4) deep water.

A Lively Debate on Matter and Body before (and after?) Avicenna – Part One [2023]

In: Mélanges de l’Université Saint-Joseph 69, 2022

This article – in two parts – provides central texts in Greek, Syriac, and Arabic that exemplify ... more This article – in two parts – provides central texts in Greek, Syriac, and Arabic that exemplify the traditional view on matter and body in the history of philosophy before turning to central texts that exemplify a new, non-traditional view which apparently developed (or reached its mature formulation) in sixth-century Alexandria, thus approaching the question whether there are also adherents of the non-traditional view in the Arabic tradition, who might, then, not only have had an impact on Avicenna but perhaps even on the post-Avicennian tradition of Arabic philosophy.

Natural Philosophy [in Islamicate Societies], 100-700/700-1300 [2022]

In: Routledge Handbook on the Sciences in Islamicate Societies: Practices from the 2nd/8th to the 13th/19th Centuries. Edited by Sonja Brentjes with Peter Barker and Rana Brentjes. London: Routledge, 2022

Philosophy, as it was conceived in the Islamicate world, was "science" in its broadest terms. It ... more Philosophy, as it was conceived in the Islamicate world, was "science" in its broadest terms. It was divided into theoretical sciences, practical sciences and applied sciences. While applied sciences included, for example, astrology, agriculture and medicine, practical sciences comprised, for instance, ethics and politics. The theoretical sciences, in turn, split into four areas: logic, mathematics, natural philosophy and metaphysics. Of these, natural philosophy was further divided into seven "particular" investigations. These were concerned with the heavenly bodies, the elements, meteorological phenomena, minerals, plants, animals and the soul, respectively. Additionally, one fundamental or "common" science – called "physics" – covered all concepts immediately relevant not only for all the seven particular disciplines within natural philosophy but also for a number of the applied sciences such as medicine and astrology. It is important to understand that the term "natural philosophy" was not synonymous with "physics" but demarcated a wide scientific area concerned with the exploration of all the aspects and the inner governing structures of the corporeal world, whereas "physics" was but one – if the most essential – of its disciplines. This contribution outlines salient points of theory and practice in natural philosophy as well as their development within Islamicate Societies from the second/eighth to the eighth/fourteenth century.

Entstehung, Aufbau und Erhalt der sublunaren Welt [in al-Fārābī] (Origination, Structure, and Preservation of the Sublunary World in al-Fārābī) [2022]

In: Abū Naṣr al-Fārābī: Die Prinzipien der Ansichten der Bewohner der vortrefflichen Stadt. Edited by Ulrich Rudolph. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, 2022

In this contribution, I analyse chapters 4-5 and 8-9 of al-Fārābī's best known work "The Principl... more In this contribution, I analyse chapters 4-5 and 8-9 of al-Fārābī's best known work "The Principles of Opinions of the Inhabitants of the Excellent City" and explain how its author conceived of strutcure of the cosmos, in particular that of the sublunary world. Focusing on his "scientific" explanation, I argue that al-Fārābī considers the sublunary world and its atmosphere as a complex "eco-system" inhabitaed by a large variety of different creatures and subject to a range of internal and external influences. He is convinced that the causes of the phenomena "down here" can be identified and ultimately derived from the celestial principles "up there." However, by limiting himself to presenting only the basics of this scientific explanation, it becomes apparent that he subordinates what he considers scientifically possible to the didactic intention of his text.

Doxography and Philosophical Method: Avicenna's Treatment of Presocratic Opinions [2022]

In: Received Opinions: Doxography in Antiquity and the Islamic World. Edited by Andreas Lammer and Mareike Jas. Philosophia antiqua: A Series of Studies on Ancient Philosophy 160. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2022

In the preface to his Physics, Avicenna announces that he intends to follow "the order which the ... more In the preface to his Physics, Avicenna announces that he intends to follow "the order which the philosophy of the Peripatetics follows." While it, accordingly, does not come as a surprise that Avicenna – like Aristotle and his commentators – indeed discussed Presocratic theories in chapter I.4 of his Physics, it is striking that he – unlike Aristotle and his commentators – did so only briefly and seemingly with much less respect. This paper provides an explanation for Avicenna's critical, if not harsh, attitude towards his ancient predecessors in that chapter. It will be shown that, his statement in the preface notwithstanding, Avicenna wrote this chapter only upon direct request by his disciples and that, moreover, he did so only reluctantly, especially because a discussion or refutation of Presocratic theories neither fits his agenda in the Physics nor concords with the scientific methodology he has developed in the previous chapters of the Physics and in his Posterior Analytics. This interpretation is further substantiated through a reading of Avicenna's remarks on the Presocratics in two other works which are both central to Avicenna's thought and contain in their Aristotelian counterparts lengthy discussion of the Presocratics, namely his De anima and the Metaphysics.

Horizonte des Natürlichen: Grenzen und Grenzüberschreitungen in der historischen Naturphilosophie (Natural Horizons: Boundaries and Transgressions in the History of Natural Philosophy) [2022]

In: Shifting Horizons: A Line and its Movement in Art, History and Philosophy. Edited by Lucas Burkart and Beate Fricke. Colloquia Raurica 17. Basel/Berlin: Schwabe Verlag, 2022

In this contribution, I present the instrinsic fascination of cosmic boundaries and their transgr... more In this contribution, I present the instrinsic fascination of cosmic boundaries and their transgressions, including their problems and opportunities, in order to shed light on the powerful world view of late ancient and medieval philosophers and scientists. At the centre of my considerations will be the conception of natural philosophy that, by and large, prevailed throughout the centuries and represented the scientific state of the art for two thousand years – from the fourth century BCE to the sixteenth century CE – largely unchallenged (at least in the Near Eastern-North African-European cultural reagion): the world view of Aristotelian natural philosophy. In three steps I, first, investigate the "Heavens" and the limiting circle of the universe as a whole (should there be one). Then, I look at the boundary between the supralunary "Heavens" and the sublunar "Earth" and, finally, discuss transboundary phenomena within the sublunar realm of the "Earth".

Philosophie nach Format: Vermittlung aus dem Griechischen und Aneignung im Arabischen (Philosophy According to Format: Greek Transmission and Arabic Appropriation) [2022]

In: Heteronome Texte: Kommentierende und tradierende Literatur in Antike und Mittelalter. Edited by Katharina Bracht, Jan Dirk Harke, Matthias Perkams, and Meinolf Vielberg. Transmissions: Studies on Conditions, Processes and Dynamics of Textual Transmission 6. Berlin/Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2022

Texts with philosophical content belong to various genres, of which some have proved to have exer... more Texts with philosophical content belong to various genres, of which some have proved to have exerted tremendous influence within the history of philosophy. Among these, we find treatises (especially but not exclusively of Aristotle) and the epitomes, paraphrases, and commentaries of subsequent Peripatetics and Platonists. These four genres of texts not only shaped the philosophical traditions of Late Antiquity, being embedded in the curricula of Greek and Syriac schools, they were also at the centre of attention of the driving forces behind and in the Graeco-Arabic translation movement following the ʿAbbāsid revolution in 132 AH/750 CE. What is more, these genres continued to be of utmost significance also within the Arabic philosophical tradition leading up to its pivotal exponent Avicenna and in the wake of his accomplishments. This contribution aims to provide an accessible account of the complex transmission of philosophical texts from Greek Antiquity into the Arabic (so-called) Middle Ages by means of focusing on the history of treatises, epitomes, paraphrases, and commentaries, and sheds new light on the formation of the post-Avicennian period and its textual tradition.

Ibn Sīnā (The Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Religion) [2022]

In: The Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Religion. Edited by Stewart Goetz and Charles Taliaferro. 4 volumes. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell, 2022

Avicenna was the most significant Muslim philosopher and physician of the Middle Ages. He underst... more Avicenna was the most significant Muslim philosopher and physician of the Middle Ages. He understood philosophy as a systematic and universal scientific endeavor, and considerably shaped the way in which theological and religious matters – just as much as concerns from within metaphysics, natural philosophy, and logic – have been conceived by Muslim, Christian, and Jewish authors writing in the wake of his accomplishments. His long-lasting influence is attested by numerous commentaries and reactions to his account of reality. Central aspects of his philosophy include the account of God as well as the scientific explanation of creation, prophecy, evil, and the afterlife.

Now Is Not the Time: Revisiting Avicenna's Account of the Now [2021]

In: Oxford Studies in Medieval Philosophy 9, 2021

Experts on Avicenna's natural philosophy are in agreement that for Avicenna, time exists as the r... more Experts on Avicenna's natural philosophy are in agreement that for Avicenna, time exists as the result of a now which flows and which through its flow produces time. Having been a prominent interpretation of Aristotle's account of time in the Physics, the theory of the 'flowing now' was known to Avicenna from ancient and late ancient commentaries, and is mentioned in his most detailed discussion of time from his seminal work The Cure. It is, however, absent from all his other accounts of time and even within his argumentation in The Cure, there are strong, hereto-fore neglected reasons to believe that Avicenna ultimately did not adopt this idea. This article provides a full investigation of Avicenna's theory of the now and investigates its position within the larger context of his temporal theory, arguing – against the current consensus – that for Avicenna, time is not produced by the now through its flow.

So fern und doch so nah? Perspektiven auf eine alte und auf eine neue Heimat (So Far and Yet So Close? Old and New Homes in Perspective) [2021]

In: Zur gesellschaftlichen Integration neuzugewanderter Menschen: Eine Bilanz. Edited by Renate Freudenberg-Findeisen, Claudia Harsch, and Annegret Middeke. Materialien Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache 105. Göttingen: Universitätsverlag, 2021

The complex question of whether or not Islam forms part of and belongs to Germany is, alongside i... more The complex question of whether or not Islam forms part of and belongs to Germany is, alongside its societal and political dimensions, a historical question, which can only be answered with diligence and effort (as is typical of historical questions). The good thing about such a question, however, is that it indeed can be answered, and that the knowledge thus acquired can also be communicated and disseminated, if scholars conscientiously working on the subject are given the appropriate and required space to do so. A beginning can be made by realising that representatives of simplifying terms such as "Islam" and "Germany" are nowhere to be found in history. Rather, the history one understands as "one's own" has always been unfolding within a territory that had long been shaped by the diverse interplay of an abundance of, among others, Islamic-Middle Eastern and Christian-European traditions.

Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī's Platonist Account of the Essence of Time [2020]

by Peter Adamson and Andreas Lammer

In: Philosophical Theology in Islam: Later Ashʿarism East and West. Edited by Ayman Shihadeh and Jan Thiele. Islamicate Intellectual History: Studies and Texts in the Late Medieval and Early Modern Periods 5. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2020

When we think of Ašʿarī responses to Avicenna (d. 428/1037), the first author to come to mind is ... more When we think of Ašʿarī responses to Avicenna (d. 428/1037), the first author to come to mind is al-Ġazālī (d. 505/1111), thanks to his Tahāfut al-falāsifa. This work is dominated by issues of philosophical theology. However, the Ašʿarī reactions to Avicenna both precede and exceed the Tahāfut. We already find al-Ġazālī's teacher al-Ǧuwaynī (d. 478/1085) drawing on Avicenna and, alongside the Tahāfut, another early attack on Avicenna came from al-Šahrastānī (d. 548/1153). It was only the beginning of centuries' worth of Ašʿarī engagement with Avicennian philosophy. This tradition had much to say about philosophical theology. Moreover, it is well known that theologians delved into Avicenna's logic too. Yet, Ašʿarī authors also took an interest in physics and treated this as a discipline worthy of discussion in its own right, while of course keeping sight of its significance for theology. An excellent example of such a engagement is the treatment of time given by the greatest Avicennising Ašʿarite of them all, Faḫr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210). On the following pages, we shall analyse the relevant section of Faḫr al-Dīn's al-Maṭālib and show how it differs from the discussions of time in his earlier systematic works. We will also provide occasional references to his commentaries on two of Avicenna's works: al-Išārāt wa-l-tanbīhāt and the brief compendium ʿUyūn al-ḥikma.

Two Sixth/Twelfth-Century Hardliners on Creation and Divine Eternity: al-Šahrastānī and Abū l-Barakāt al-Baġdādī on God’s Priority over the World [2018]

In: Islamic Philosophy from the 12th to the 14th Century. Edited by Abdelkader Al Ghouz. Mamluk Studies 20. Göttingen: Bonn University Press and V&R unipress, 2018

If the philosophical discussion about the question whether the world existed from all eternity or... more If the philosophical discussion about the question whether the world existed from all eternity or was created in time were a story, it would start with some exegetical issues in Plato, introduce the Unmoved Mover of Aristotle, continue with some Neoplatonic ingenuity at the hands of Proclus, and end with even more ingenuity from Philoponus. That story would, then, have become so famous that it was worth translating into Arabic in a revised version by al-Kindī, to which Avicenna would write a sequel and al-Ġazālī the finale. Today, this trilogy would predominantly be sold with an elaborate, even if somewhat sterile, afterword by Averroes, and be celebrated as an epic classic, being reissued again and again in ever cheaper paperbacks.

The story, however, would also have created a spin-off which only recently would have garnered some fame. This spin-off would introduce many new characters – among them Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Šahrastānī (d. 548/1153) and Abū l-Barakāt al-Baġdādī (d. 560/1164-5) – and continue the story after al-Ġazālī, with plenty of recurring elements but also with fresh material. Moreover, it would unfold in a new context: the philosophical milieu of the Islamic East, focusing in the first instalments on twelfth-century Baġdād, the capital city of the ʿAbbāsid caliphate and one of the most vibrant intellectual centres of the Selğūk empire.

Both al-Šahrastānī and Abū l-Barakāt were thoroughly familiar with the philosophy of Avicenna. Indeed, they are notoriously known as two of his fiercest critics. They belonged to the intellectual elite in the philosophical milieu of Baġdād in the early twelfth century, each composing works in which they provided their own detailed discussion of God, the world, priority, relation, and eternity; yet, although drawing on the same materials and investigating the same question, they offered solutions entirely at odds with one another.

In this paper, I shall investigate their positions, their arguments, and their sources regarding the question of the eternity of the world and the nature of God's priority to His creation.

Time and Mind-Dependence in Sayf al-Dīn al-Āmidī's "Abkār al-afkār" (with edition and translation) [2018]

In: The Arabic, Hebrew and Latin Reception of Avicenna's Physics and Cosmology. Edited by Dag Nikolaus Hasse and Amos Bertolacci. Scientia graeco-arabica 23. Berlin and Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2018

In this article, I examine al-Āmidī's chapter on time in one of his main works, the "Abkār al-afk... more In this article, I examine al-Āmidī's chapter on time in one of his main works, the "Abkār al-afkār fī uṣūl al-dīn", discussing his exposition of Avicenna's account of time as well as his own contribution to the topic. I have prefaced my analysis with a historical outline of two important aspects which are relevant for understanding the background of al-Āmidī's discussion of time and, indeed, of any such discussion in the thirteenth century. In an appendix, I provide an edition of the Arabic text of al-Āmidī's chapter together with a facing English translation.

Anzahl und Ausmaß: Die griechisch-arabisch-lateinische Rezeption der aristotelischen Zeitdefinition (Number, Measure, and Magnitude: The Graeco-Arabic-Latin Reception of Aristotle's Definition of Time) [2018]

In: Das Mittelalter: Perspektiven mediävistischer Forschung 23.1: Maß und Maßlosigkeit im Mittelalter. Edited by Isabelle Mandrella and Kathrin Müller, 2018

This paper traces the reception of the Aristotelian definition of time from its earliest (Boethus... more This paper traces the reception of the Aristotelian definition of time from its earliest (Boethus of Sidon) to its most authoritative interpretations (Alexander of Aphrodisias), and describes how their readings pave the way for a sophisticated amalgamation of divergent Aristotelian and Platonic elements in the temporal theory of Avicenna. The focus of attention lies on specific perceptions of the relation between time and motion, more precisely on the contrary descriptions of time as the measure of motion and motion as the measure of time. The latter leads to a conception of time as a universal self-subsisting substance beyond all measure, and the former to an understanding of time as an accident providing all motion with its particular measure. It is the antagonism between these two conceptions, both inherent in the Arabic term miqdār ("measure, magnitude") at the heart of Avicenna's definition of time, which arguably informs the Latin tradition and thereby also shapes the early modern contrast between objective and subjective theories of time.

Avicenna Live: The Immediate Context of Avicenna's Intellectual Formation (ALIVE) [ERC Starting Grant 2024–2028]

ALIVE explores a unique set of essential yet hitherto widely neglected source texts for the immed... more

Abū Ḥāmid al-Ġazālī, Die Inkohärenz der Philosophen: Eine Auswahl, Arabisch – Deutsch (The Incoherence of the Philosophers: A Selection, Arabic – German) [2024]

Herders Bibliothek der Philosophie des Mittelalters 55. Freiburg: Herder, 2024

The “Incoherence of the Philosophers” (completed in early 488/1095) is al-Ġazālī’s most famous – ... more The “Incoherence of the Philosophers” (completed in early 488/1095) is al-Ġazālī’s most famous – indeed infamous – work. In 20 chapters, he subjects the fundamental concepts of his philosophical contemporaries and predecessors to critical scrutiny and rejects the claim to absoluteness of their supposedly irrefutable conclusions. In doing so, he creates an impressive synthesis of critical thinking and the unwavering defence of religious claims. This book provides a selection of the most important chapters of the work in an accurate but readable translation. A detailed introduction draws the reader’s attention to the intricacies in reading al-Ġazālī and pays tribute to the often underestimated complexity of his thought.

Verschränkte Welt: Medien, Modelle und Diskurse mittelalterlicher Meteorologie (Entangled World: Media, Models, and Discourses of Medieval Meteorology) [2024]

Das Mittelalter: Perspektiven mediävistischer Forschung 29.1. Heidelberg: Heidelberg University Publishing, 2024

In view of the wealth of medieval sources that depict, describe, or otherwise discuss meteorologi... more In view of the wealth of medieval sources that depict, describe, or otherwise discuss meteorological topics, the editors of this inter- and transdisciplinary special issue have invited various colleagues to investigate and demonstrate how meteorological phenomena were sometimes the starting point and sometimes the goal of theory formation in different cultures and periods of the so-called Middle Ages. The studies collected here bring to light the comprehensive existential significance of meteorology as a pre-modern science and endeavour.

Alkmaion von Kroton, Hippon von Metapont und Menestor von Sybaris (Alcmaeon of Croton, Hippo of Metapontum, and Menestor of Sybaris, edited by Georg Wöhrle in collaboration with Theofanis Tsiampokalos, with contributions by Andreas Lammer) [2022]

by Theofanis Tsiampokalos and Andreas Lammer

Traditio Praesocratica 4. Berlin and Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2022

The fourth volume of the series contains the Greek, Latin, and Arabic testimonies – from the four... more The fourth volume of the series contains the Greek, Latin, and Arabic testimonies – from the fourth century BC to the late Middle Ages – on the life and teachings of the three Ancient Greek philosophers Alcmaeon, Hippon, and Menestor in chronological order and with a German translation. While Alcmaeon of Croton received attention due to his theories on the physiology of the senses (theories he might have formed on the basis of empirical evidence), Hippon of Metapont (?) was known to later authors mainly because of his epithet describing him as 'godless.' Menestor of Sybaris, on the other hand, appears in Theophrastus' botanical works, in which he is portrayed as a respectable predecessor of botanic research. All testimonies are provided with short contextual information on the respective source and furnished with thematically ordered references, which help trace the transmission and the reception contexts.

Received Opinions: Doxography in Antiquity and the Islamic World [2022]

Philosophia antiqua: A Series of Studies on Ancient Philosophy 160. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2022

This volume – the proceedings of a 2018 conference at LMU Munich funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foun... more This volume – the proceedings of a 2018 conference at LMU Munich funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation – brings together, for the rst time, experts on Greek, Syriac, and Arabic traditions of doxography. Fourteen contributions provide new insight into state-of-the-art contemporary research on the widespread phenomenon of doxography. Together, they demonstrate how Greek, Syriac, and Arabic forms of doxography share common features and raise related questions that benefit interdisciplinary exchange among colleagues from various disciplines, such as classics, Arabic studies, and the history of philosophy.

The Elements of Avicenna's Physics: Greek Sources and Arabic Innovations [2018]

Scientia graeco-arabica 20. Berlin and Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2018

This study is the first comprehensive analysis of the physical theory of the Islamic philosopher ... more This study is the first comprehensive analysis of the physical theory of the Islamic philosopher Avicenna (d. 1037). It seeks to understand his contribution against the developments within the preceding Greek and Arabic intellectual milieus, and to appreciate his philosophy as such by emphasising his independence as a critical and systematic thinker. Exploring Avicenna’s method of "teaching and learning," it investigates the implications of his account of the natural body as a three-dimensionally extended composite of matter and form, and examines his views on nature as a principle of motion and his analysis of its relation to soul. Moreover, it demonstrates how Avicenna defends the Aristotelian conception of place against the strident criticism of his predecessors, among other things, by disproving the existence of void and space. Finally, it sheds new light on Avicenna’s account of the essence and the existence of time. For the first time taking into account the entire range of Avicenna’s major writings, this study fills a gap in our understanding both of the history of natural philosophy in general and of the philosophy of Avicenna in particular.

Winner of the BRAIS-De Gruyter Prize 2017:
http://www.brais.ac.uk/prize/2017-announcement

Winner of the Bavarian Culture Prize 2017:
https://www.bayernwerk.de/content/dam/revu-global/bayernwerk/documents/ueber-bayernwerk/engagement/kultur-und-tradition/kulturpreis-bayern/2017/pm-uni/KB2017_Andreas_Lammer_LMU_Muenchen.pdf

Winner of the World Award for Book of the Year 2020:
http://bookaward.ir/NewsDetails-En/1047/Report-On-the-27th-I-R--Iran-World-Award-for-Book-of-the-Year

What Goes up Must Come down: The Water Cycle in Early Arabic Meteorology [2024]

by Colin Fitzpatrick Murtha and Andreas Lammer

In: The Elements in the Medieval World: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, vol. 1: Water. Edited by Marilina Cesario, Hugh Magennis, and Elisa Ramazzina. Elements, Nature, Environment: Multidisciplinary Perspectives from the Ancient to the Early Modern World 1. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2024

Investigating a number of key texts that were available in Arabic to the beginning of the elevent... more Investigating a number of key texts that were available in Arabic to the beginning of the eleventh century, this contribution focuses on the water cycle before Avicenna (d. 428/1037) entered the stage, composed his own Meteorology, and transformed the tradition. In order to assess the prevalent ideas on the hydrological circle, we shall examine (1) rising water, (2) falling water, (3) flowing water, and (4) deep water.

A Lively Debate on Matter and Body before (and after?) Avicenna – Part One [2023]

In: Mélanges de l’Université Saint-Joseph 69, 2022

This article – in two parts – provides central texts in Greek, Syriac, and Arabic that exemplify ... more This article – in two parts – provides central texts in Greek, Syriac, and Arabic that exemplify the traditional view on matter and body in the history of philosophy before turning to central texts that exemplify a new, non-traditional view which apparently developed (or reached its mature formulation) in sixth-century Alexandria, thus approaching the question whether there are also adherents of the non-traditional view in the Arabic tradition, who might, then, not only have had an impact on Avicenna but perhaps even on the post-Avicennian tradition of Arabic philosophy.

Natural Philosophy [in Islamicate Societies], 100-700/700-1300 [2022]

In: Routledge Handbook on the Sciences in Islamicate Societies: Practices from the 2nd/8th to the 13th/19th Centuries. Edited by Sonja Brentjes with Peter Barker and Rana Brentjes. London: Routledge, 2022

Philosophy, as it was conceived in the Islamicate world, was "science" in its broadest terms. It ... more Philosophy, as it was conceived in the Islamicate world, was "science" in its broadest terms. It was divided into theoretical sciences, practical sciences and applied sciences. While applied sciences included, for example, astrology, agriculture and medicine, practical sciences comprised, for instance, ethics and politics. The theoretical sciences, in turn, split into four areas: logic, mathematics, natural philosophy and metaphysics. Of these, natural philosophy was further divided into seven "particular" investigations. These were concerned with the heavenly bodies, the elements, meteorological phenomena, minerals, plants, animals and the soul, respectively. Additionally, one fundamental or "common" science – called "physics" – covered all concepts immediately relevant not only for all the seven particular disciplines within natural philosophy but also for a number of the applied sciences such as medicine and astrology. It is important to understand that the term "natural philosophy" was not synonymous with "physics" but demarcated a wide scientific area concerned with the exploration of all the aspects and the inner governing structures of the corporeal world, whereas "physics" was but one – if the most essential – of its disciplines. This contribution outlines salient points of theory and practice in natural philosophy as well as their development within Islamicate Societies from the second/eighth to the eighth/fourteenth century.

Entstehung, Aufbau und Erhalt der sublunaren Welt [in al-Fārābī] (Origination, Structure, and Preservation of the Sublunary World in al-Fārābī) [2022]

In: Abū Naṣr al-Fārābī: Die Prinzipien der Ansichten der Bewohner der vortrefflichen Stadt. Edited by Ulrich Rudolph. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter, 2022

In this contribution, I analyse chapters 4-5 and 8-9 of al-Fārābī's best known work "The Principl... more In this contribution, I analyse chapters 4-5 and 8-9 of al-Fārābī's best known work "The Principles of Opinions of the Inhabitants of the Excellent City" and explain how its author conceived of strutcure of the cosmos, in particular that of the sublunary world. Focusing on his "scientific" explanation, I argue that al-Fārābī considers the sublunary world and its atmosphere as a complex "eco-system" inhabitaed by a large variety of different creatures and subject to a range of internal and external influences. He is convinced that the causes of the phenomena "down here" can be identified and ultimately derived from the celestial principles "up there." However, by limiting himself to presenting only the basics of this scientific explanation, it becomes apparent that he subordinates what he considers scientifically possible to the didactic intention of his text.

Doxography and Philosophical Method: Avicenna's Treatment of Presocratic Opinions [2022]

In: Received Opinions: Doxography in Antiquity and the Islamic World. Edited by Andreas Lammer and Mareike Jas. Philosophia antiqua: A Series of Studies on Ancient Philosophy 160. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2022

In the preface to his Physics, Avicenna announces that he intends to follow "the order which the ... more In the preface to his Physics, Avicenna announces that he intends to follow "the order which the philosophy of the Peripatetics follows." While it, accordingly, does not come as a surprise that Avicenna – like Aristotle and his commentators – indeed discussed Presocratic theories in chapter I.4 of his Physics, it is striking that he – unlike Aristotle and his commentators – did so only briefly and seemingly with much less respect. This paper provides an explanation for Avicenna's critical, if not harsh, attitude towards his ancient predecessors in that chapter. It will be shown that, his statement in the preface notwithstanding, Avicenna wrote this chapter only upon direct request by his disciples and that, moreover, he did so only reluctantly, especially because a discussion or refutation of Presocratic theories neither fits his agenda in the Physics nor concords with the scientific methodology he has developed in the previous chapters of the Physics and in his Posterior Analytics. This interpretation is further substantiated through a reading of Avicenna's remarks on the Presocratics in two other works which are both central to Avicenna's thought and contain in their Aristotelian counterparts lengthy discussion of the Presocratics, namely his De anima and the Metaphysics.

Horizonte des Natürlichen: Grenzen und Grenzüberschreitungen in der historischen Naturphilosophie (Natural Horizons: Boundaries and Transgressions in the History of Natural Philosophy) [2022]

In: Shifting Horizons: A Line and its Movement in Art, History and Philosophy. Edited by Lucas Burkart and Beate Fricke. Colloquia Raurica 17. Basel/Berlin: Schwabe Verlag, 2022

In this contribution, I present the instrinsic fascination of cosmic boundaries and their transgr... more In this contribution, I present the instrinsic fascination of cosmic boundaries and their transgressions, including their problems and opportunities, in order to shed light on the powerful world view of late ancient and medieval philosophers and scientists. At the centre of my considerations will be the conception of natural philosophy that, by and large, prevailed throughout the centuries and represented the scientific state of the art for two thousand years – from the fourth century BCE to the sixteenth century CE – largely unchallenged (at least in the Near Eastern-North African-European cultural reagion): the world view of Aristotelian natural philosophy. In three steps I, first, investigate the "Heavens" and the limiting circle of the universe as a whole (should there be one). Then, I look at the boundary between the supralunary "Heavens" and the sublunar "Earth" and, finally, discuss transboundary phenomena within the sublunar realm of the "Earth".

Philosophie nach Format: Vermittlung aus dem Griechischen und Aneignung im Arabischen (Philosophy According to Format: Greek Transmission and Arabic Appropriation) [2022]

In: Heteronome Texte: Kommentierende und tradierende Literatur in Antike und Mittelalter. Edited by Katharina Bracht, Jan Dirk Harke, Matthias Perkams, and Meinolf Vielberg. Transmissions: Studies on Conditions, Processes and Dynamics of Textual Transmission 6. Berlin/Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2022

Texts with philosophical content belong to various genres, of which some have proved to have exer... more Texts with philosophical content belong to various genres, of which some have proved to have exerted tremendous influence within the history of philosophy. Among these, we find treatises (especially but not exclusively of Aristotle) and the epitomes, paraphrases, and commentaries of subsequent Peripatetics and Platonists. These four genres of texts not only shaped the philosophical traditions of Late Antiquity, being embedded in the curricula of Greek and Syriac schools, they were also at the centre of attention of the driving forces behind and in the Graeco-Arabic translation movement following the ʿAbbāsid revolution in 132 AH/750 CE. What is more, these genres continued to be of utmost significance also within the Arabic philosophical tradition leading up to its pivotal exponent Avicenna and in the wake of his accomplishments. This contribution aims to provide an accessible account of the complex transmission of philosophical texts from Greek Antiquity into the Arabic (so-called) Middle Ages by means of focusing on the history of treatises, epitomes, paraphrases, and commentaries, and sheds new light on the formation of the post-Avicennian period and its textual tradition.

Ibn Sīnā (The Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Religion) [2022]

In: The Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Religion. Edited by Stewart Goetz and Charles Taliaferro. 4 volumes. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell, 2022

Avicenna was the most significant Muslim philosopher and physician of the Middle Ages. He underst... more Avicenna was the most significant Muslim philosopher and physician of the Middle Ages. He understood philosophy as a systematic and universal scientific endeavor, and considerably shaped the way in which theological and religious matters – just as much as concerns from within metaphysics, natural philosophy, and logic – have been conceived by Muslim, Christian, and Jewish authors writing in the wake of his accomplishments. His long-lasting influence is attested by numerous commentaries and reactions to his account of reality. Central aspects of his philosophy include the account of God as well as the scientific explanation of creation, prophecy, evil, and the afterlife.

Now Is Not the Time: Revisiting Avicenna's Account of the Now [2021]

In: Oxford Studies in Medieval Philosophy 9, 2021

Experts on Avicenna's natural philosophy are in agreement that for Avicenna, time exists as the r... more Experts on Avicenna's natural philosophy are in agreement that for Avicenna, time exists as the result of a now which flows and which through its flow produces time. Having been a prominent interpretation of Aristotle's account of time in the Physics, the theory of the 'flowing now' was known to Avicenna from ancient and late ancient commentaries, and is mentioned in his most detailed discussion of time from his seminal work The Cure. It is, however, absent from all his other accounts of time and even within his argumentation in The Cure, there are strong, hereto-fore neglected reasons to believe that Avicenna ultimately did not adopt this idea. This article provides a full investigation of Avicenna's theory of the now and investigates its position within the larger context of his temporal theory, arguing – against the current consensus – that for Avicenna, time is not produced by the now through its flow.

So fern und doch so nah? Perspektiven auf eine alte und auf eine neue Heimat (So Far and Yet So Close? Old and New Homes in Perspective) [2021]

In: Zur gesellschaftlichen Integration neuzugewanderter Menschen: Eine Bilanz. Edited by Renate Freudenberg-Findeisen, Claudia Harsch, and Annegret Middeke. Materialien Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache 105. Göttingen: Universitätsverlag, 2021

The complex question of whether or not Islam forms part of and belongs to Germany is, alongside i... more The complex question of whether or not Islam forms part of and belongs to Germany is, alongside its societal and political dimensions, a historical question, which can only be answered with diligence and effort (as is typical of historical questions). The good thing about such a question, however, is that it indeed can be answered, and that the knowledge thus acquired can also be communicated and disseminated, if scholars conscientiously working on the subject are given the appropriate and required space to do so. A beginning can be made by realising that representatives of simplifying terms such as "Islam" and "Germany" are nowhere to be found in history. Rather, the history one understands as "one's own" has always been unfolding within a territory that had long been shaped by the diverse interplay of an abundance of, among others, Islamic-Middle Eastern and Christian-European traditions.

Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī's Platonist Account of the Essence of Time [2020]

by Peter Adamson and Andreas Lammer

In: Philosophical Theology in Islam: Later Ashʿarism East and West. Edited by Ayman Shihadeh and Jan Thiele. Islamicate Intellectual History: Studies and Texts in the Late Medieval and Early Modern Periods 5. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2020

When we think of Ašʿarī responses to Avicenna (d. 428/1037), the first author to come to mind is ... more When we think of Ašʿarī responses to Avicenna (d. 428/1037), the first author to come to mind is al-Ġazālī (d. 505/1111), thanks to his Tahāfut al-falāsifa. This work is dominated by issues of philosophical theology. However, the Ašʿarī reactions to Avicenna both precede and exceed the Tahāfut. We already find al-Ġazālī's teacher al-Ǧuwaynī (d. 478/1085) drawing on Avicenna and, alongside the Tahāfut, another early attack on Avicenna came from al-Šahrastānī (d. 548/1153). It was only the beginning of centuries' worth of Ašʿarī engagement with Avicennian philosophy. This tradition had much to say about philosophical theology. Moreover, it is well known that theologians delved into Avicenna's logic too. Yet, Ašʿarī authors also took an interest in physics and treated this as a discipline worthy of discussion in its own right, while of course keeping sight of its significance for theology. An excellent example of such a engagement is the treatment of time given by the greatest Avicennising Ašʿarite of them all, Faḫr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210). On the following pages, we shall analyse the relevant section of Faḫr al-Dīn's al-Maṭālib and show how it differs from the discussions of time in his earlier systematic works. We will also provide occasional references to his commentaries on two of Avicenna's works: al-Išārāt wa-l-tanbīhāt and the brief compendium ʿUyūn al-ḥikma.

Two Sixth/Twelfth-Century Hardliners on Creation and Divine Eternity: al-Šahrastānī and Abū l-Barakāt al-Baġdādī on God’s Priority over the World [2018]

In: Islamic Philosophy from the 12th to the 14th Century. Edited by Abdelkader Al Ghouz. Mamluk Studies 20. Göttingen: Bonn University Press and V&R unipress, 2018

If the philosophical discussion about the question whether the world existed from all eternity or... more If the philosophical discussion about the question whether the world existed from all eternity or was created in time were a story, it would start with some exegetical issues in Plato, introduce the Unmoved Mover of Aristotle, continue with some Neoplatonic ingenuity at the hands of Proclus, and end with even more ingenuity from Philoponus. That story would, then, have become so famous that it was worth translating into Arabic in a revised version by al-Kindī, to which Avicenna would write a sequel and al-Ġazālī the finale. Today, this trilogy would predominantly be sold with an elaborate, even if somewhat sterile, afterword by Averroes, and be celebrated as an epic classic, being reissued again and again in ever cheaper paperbacks.

The story, however, would also have created a spin-off which only recently would have garnered some fame. This spin-off would introduce many new characters – among them Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Šahrastānī (d. 548/1153) and Abū l-Barakāt al-Baġdādī (d. 560/1164-5) – and continue the story after al-Ġazālī, with plenty of recurring elements but also with fresh material. Moreover, it would unfold in a new context: the philosophical milieu of the Islamic East, focusing in the first instalments on twelfth-century Baġdād, the capital city of the ʿAbbāsid caliphate and one of the most vibrant intellectual centres of the Selğūk empire.

Both al-Šahrastānī and Abū l-Barakāt were thoroughly familiar with the philosophy of Avicenna. Indeed, they are notoriously known as two of his fiercest critics. They belonged to the intellectual elite in the philosophical milieu of Baġdād in the early twelfth century, each composing works in which they provided their own detailed discussion of God, the world, priority, relation, and eternity; yet, although drawing on the same materials and investigating the same question, they offered solutions entirely at odds with one another.

In this paper, I shall investigate their positions, their arguments, and their sources regarding the question of the eternity of the world and the nature of God's priority to His creation.

Time and Mind-Dependence in Sayf al-Dīn al-Āmidī's "Abkār al-afkār" (with edition and translation) [2018]

In: The Arabic, Hebrew and Latin Reception of Avicenna's Physics and Cosmology. Edited by Dag Nikolaus Hasse and Amos Bertolacci. Scientia graeco-arabica 23. Berlin and Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2018

In this article, I examine al-Āmidī's chapter on time in one of his main works, the "Abkār al-afk... more In this article, I examine al-Āmidī's chapter on time in one of his main works, the "Abkār al-afkār fī uṣūl al-dīn", discussing his exposition of Avicenna's account of time as well as his own contribution to the topic. I have prefaced my analysis with a historical outline of two important aspects which are relevant for understanding the background of al-Āmidī's discussion of time and, indeed, of any such discussion in the thirteenth century. In an appendix, I provide an edition of the Arabic text of al-Āmidī's chapter together with a facing English translation.

Anzahl und Ausmaß: Die griechisch-arabisch-lateinische Rezeption der aristotelischen Zeitdefinition (Number, Measure, and Magnitude: The Graeco-Arabic-Latin Reception of Aristotle's Definition of Time) [2018]

In: Das Mittelalter: Perspektiven mediävistischer Forschung 23.1: Maß und Maßlosigkeit im Mittelalter. Edited by Isabelle Mandrella and Kathrin Müller, 2018

This paper traces the reception of the Aristotelian definition of time from its earliest (Boethus... more This paper traces the reception of the Aristotelian definition of time from its earliest (Boethus of Sidon) to its most authoritative interpretations (Alexander of Aphrodisias), and describes how their readings pave the way for a sophisticated amalgamation of divergent Aristotelian and Platonic elements in the temporal theory of Avicenna. The focus of attention lies on specific perceptions of the relation between time and motion, more precisely on the contrary descriptions of time as the measure of motion and motion as the measure of time. The latter leads to a conception of time as a universal self-subsisting substance beyond all measure, and the former to an understanding of time as an accident providing all motion with its particular measure. It is the antagonism between these two conceptions, both inherent in the Arabic term miqdār ("measure, magnitude") at the heart of Avicenna's definition of time, which arguably informs the Latin tradition and thereby also shapes the early modern contrast between objective and subjective theories of time.

Eternity and Origination in the Works of Sayf al-Dīn al-Āmidī and Athīr al-Dīn al-Abharī: Two Discussions from the Seventh/Thirteenth Century [2017]

In: The Muslim World 107.3, 2017

This article provides a first exploration of the debate on the eternity of the world in the works... more This article provides a first exploration of the debate on the eternity of the world in the works of Sayf al-Dīn al-Āmidī (d. 631/1233) and Athīr al-Dīn al-Abharī (d. 663/1264). The focus on these two intellectuals is not random. Both al-Āmidī and al-Abharī have been renowned, influential thinkers and each is described in the secondary literature in seemingly unambiguous terms, either as an Ashʿarī theologian (in the case of al-Āmidī) or as an Avicennian philosopher (in the case of al-Abharī). Yet, neither of these descriptions is unproblematic, and so it is on the whole difficult to see whether al-Āmidī is an Avicennian at heart or an Ashʿarī partisan who resentfully defies Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī's innovations in theology or, in turn, whether al-Abharī is an actual defender of the theological dogma or parroting Avicenna’s philosophy. Against this background, then, it may also be unclear what their position was towards the most pressing of questions, viz., whether the world existed for all eternity or is the result of an origination.

Defining Nature: From Aristotle to Philoponus to Avicenna [2015]

In: Aristotle and the Arabic Tradition. Edited by Ahmed Alwishah and Josh Hayes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015

Aristotle's definition of nature as a cause and principle of motion has been widely accepted by s... more Aristotle's definition of nature as a cause and principle of motion has been widely accepted by subsequent philosophers throughout the centuries despite the fact that it does not clearly state what kind of cause nature is or whether nature is involved in the production of motion as an active or a passive principle. John Philoponus availed himself of Aristotle's indefiniteness and developed nature into an active principle, which permeates and governs all objects within the natural world. His definition was equally successful as an emendation of Aristotle's original definition. Nature taken as an active principle was conceived as something similar to soul and was embedded into a larger framework of Neoplatonic cosmology until it was met with disapproval by Avicenna, who intended to dispel the idea of aligning soul with nature in order to provide his own novel definition of nature as part of a universal classification of natural powers.

Islamic Philosophy? [NISIS Study Day, Nijmegen 2024]

Workshop held 12th April 2024 at Radboud University Nijmegen, organised by Harald Viersen and And... more

A Hidden Treasure: Editorial, Historical, and Philosophical Issues in Avicenna's "Minor" Works (rasāʾil) [Avicenna Study Group IV, Aix-en-Provence/Marseille 2023]

by Andreas Lammer and olga lucia Lizzini

This conference will continue the successful format of the Avicenna Study Group (three meetings i... more This conference will continue the successful format of the Avicenna Study Group (three meetings in 2001, 2002, and 2021 with two volumes of proceedings in 2003 and 2004 and a third volume forthcoming) and will turn to another pivotal topic in the study of Avicenna and his philosophy: the papers will explore the corpus of Avicenna's widely neglected so-called "minor" works and investigate their relevance for understanding Avicenna's thought and influence, both on the Eastern and the Western intellectual tradition. The corpus of smaller treatises, tales, and letters on various topics attributed to Avicenna poses particular challenges both in terms of philosophical and philological analysis. In 2014, Dimitri Gutas (Avicenna and the Aristotelian Tradition, 2nd ed.) provided a revised list of works that included, alongside the well-known summae, also the lesser-known shorter writings. While the authenticity of some of these rasāʾil remains questionable, it is clear that they all shaped in different degrees the perception on Avicenna throughout the centuries and, thus, deserve more attention from scholars to bring to light their variegated history of transmission and reception as well as their value for understanding Avicenna. Many of these smaller texts remain unedited and discuss topics that are rarely studied or appear otherwise difficult to integrate into the systematic framework of Avicenna's philosophy. They may enrich or surely substantiate our own view of Avicenna, while inauthentic treatises could provide important insight into Avicennian circles and later forgeries may have been sources of misconceptions and erroneous or otherwise peculiar readings among interpreters in history. Against this background, the fourth meeting of the Avicenna Study Group aspires to set a new standard in dealing with the important corpus of Avicenna's "minor" works and welcomes rigorous and innovative contributions. The conference is funded by the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung, the Institut Français d'Islamologie, the Institut de recherches et d'études sur les mondes arabes et musulmans, and the Institut d'études de l'Islam et des sociétés du monde musulman as well as Radboud University and Aix-Marseille University.

Presenting Information in Medieval and Early Modern Treatise Literature [TriKo Summer and Winter Talks, Trier 2021-2022]

Interdisciplinary series of lectures held during the summer and winter terms 2021 and 2022 at Tri... more

Surveying the summae: Comparisons and Contrasts among Avicenna's Eight Main Works [Avicenna Study Group III, Trier 2021]

This meeting in 2021 instigated the format of the Avicenna Study Group again, which after two suc... more This meeting in 2021 instigated the format of the Avicenna Study Group again, which after two successful meetings (2001 and 2002) and the publication of two accompanying volumes (2003 and 2004) was not continued after David C. Reisman's untimely passing. Originally planned for 03–05 June 2020, the Third International Meeting of the Avicenna Study Group had to be postponed due to the global health situation and was, then, organised as a weekly lecture series every Tuesday evening between 01 June and 13 July 2021. It featured fourteen papers covering different philosophical disciplines (e.g., logic, physics, psychology, metaphysics) across the eight main works of Avicenna (al-Ḥikma al-ʿArūḍiyya, ʿUyūn al-ḥikma, al-Hidāya, al-Šifāʾ, al-Naǧāt, Dānešnāme-ye ʿAlāʾī, al-Ḥikma al-mašriqiyya, al-Išārāt wa-l-tanbīhāt).
The contributors investigated and assessed the relations between these eight works, their intended readership and Avicenna’s intentions in them alongside his style, terminology, and arguments as well as his personal and doctrinal development. The conference was funded by the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung and Trier University.

Wissensformen im Umbruch: Die Gestaltung der Summe als Text und Gattung [XII. Dies quodlibetalis, Trier 2019]

Conference held 28th–29th June 2019 at Trier University, organised by Andreas Lammer as the XII. ... more

Received Opinions: Doxography in Antiquity and the Islamic World [Munich 2018]

Conference held 6th–8th March 2018 at the Munich School of Ancient Philosophy, organised by Marei... more

Online Dictionary of Arabic Philosophical Terms [http://www.arabic-philosophy.com/dict/]

Online Dictionary of Persian Philosophical Terms [under development]

by Andreas Lammer and Hanif Amin Beidokhti

Online Dictionary of Syriac Philosophical Terms [under development]

Šihāb al-Dīn al-Suhrawardī, "Das Buch der Lichtstrahlen" (Partownāme): Persisch – Deutsch [work in progress]

by Hanif Amin Beidokhti and Andreas Lammer

This is a German translation with facing Persian text of one of Suhrawardī's complete compendia o... more