The Problem of Evil

Ibn Sina's Theodicy

Who of us has not wondered why a God with absolute attributes causes or allows evil in the world? This most puzzling issue, known as the problem of evil, received significant attention from Ibn Sina. In the present work, Dr. Inati argues that Ibn Sina provides seven theses to justify God's causing or allowing the presence of evil, and that only the thesis which relies on God’s omnipotence as defined by Ibn Sina eliminates the problem of evil in his philosophy. The book is an original piece of work and the first comprehensive study of Ibn Sina's Theodicy, which helped shape later Islamic and Christian treatments of the subject and left significant marks on the thought of major medieval philosophers, including Ibn Rushd, Aquinas and Suarez.

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Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC

Availability: In stock

SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-0654-3

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Publication Status: In Print

Series: Gorgias Islamic Studies8

Publication Date: May 16,2017

Interior Color: Black

Trim Size: 6 x 9

Page Count: 201

Languages: English

ISBN: 978-1-4632-0654-3

$133.00

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A recognized expert in Islamic philosophy and theology, Professor Shams Inati specializes in the study of metaphysics, the problem of evil, and Islamic philosophy and theology, with particular emphasis on the teachings of Ibn Sina (Avicenna).

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	Contributor	Biography
	ShamsInati	A recognized expert in Islamic philosophy and theology, Professor Shams Inati specializes in the study of metaphysics, the problem of evil, and Islamic philosophy and theology, with particular emphasis on the teachings of Ibn Sina (Avicenna). While studying for her doctorate at SUNY Buffalo, she earned the position of SUNY Intercampus Fellow. Following that, she won numerous awards and grants, including a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant, an Andrew Mellon Fellowship in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, a United States Department of Defense grant, and the prestigious honor of being named a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Balamand in Lebanon. Dr. Inati has also been a Presenter of the Walter Powell Distinguished Lecture Series in Philosophy at Linfield College and has served as a visiting scholar at the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies in Amman, Jordan. In addition to her teaching position at Villanova University, Professor Inati has also proved to be a prolific writer. Her work includes eight books and tens of articles and encyclopedia and dictionary entries. Recent works include a book titled Ibn Sina’s Physics and Metaphysics published by Columbia University Press, and an article "The Place of Aesthetics in Islamic Philosophy" in the Journal of Oriental Studies. She also served as a General Editor with Khaled Abou Fadl for Introducing Islam Book Series published by Mason Crest.

Contributor

Biography

ShamsInati

While studying for her doctorate at SUNY Buffalo, she earned the position of SUNY Intercampus Fellow. Following that, she won numerous awards and grants, including a National Endowment for the Humanities Grant, an Andrew Mellon Fellowship in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, a United States Department of Defense grant, and the prestigious honor of being named a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Balamand in Lebanon. Dr. Inati has also been a Presenter of the Walter Powell Distinguished Lecture Series in Philosophy at Linfield College and has served as a visiting scholar at the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies in Amman, Jordan.

In addition to her teaching position at Villanova University, Professor Inati has also proved to be a prolific writer. Her work includes eight books and tens of articles and encyclopedia and dictionary entries. Recent works include a book titled Ibn Sina’s Physics and Metaphysics published by Columbia University Press, and an article "The Place of Aesthetics in Islamic Philosophy" in the Journal of Oriental Studies. She also served as a General Editor with Khaled Abou Fadl for Introducing Islam Book Series published by Mason Crest.

Preface (vii)

Chapter One. The Problem of Evil: Formulation and Historical Solutions (1)

Chapter Two. Analysis of the Theories of Evil of Ibn Sina's Predecessors (15)

Chapter Three. Ibn Sina's Analysis of Metaphysical Evil (65)

Chapter Four. Ibn Sina's Nation of Moral Evil (101)

Chapter Five. Ibn Sina's Solution for the Problem of Evil and the Problem of Destiny (125)

Chapter Six. Summary and Conclusions (165)

Abbreviations (171)

Bibliography (173)

Index (183)

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