Avicenna's Metaphysics in Context

Robert Wisnovsky's Avicenna's Metaphysics in Context is arguably one of the most important works to come out on Avicenna to date. Wisnovsky has a superb mastery of the philological, historical, and philosophical tools necessary for tackling some of the most central and deepest issues in Avicenna's philosophy. His study is history of ideas done at its best. The work is must reading for anyone studying Avicenna today and likewise will be of interest to those with broader interests, whether in Arabic philosophy and intellectual history, Hellenistic and Neoplatonic studies, medieval Latin philosophy, or the history of philosophy in general.

Wisnovsky's effort, then, is a resounding success. His study will provide specialists with years' worth of materials to mine and digest, while newcomers are treated to a challenging yet thoroughly engaging introduction to the central metaphysical issues being discussed in late ancient philosophy and the first bloom of Arabic thought. Wisnovsky's book represents the state of the art; it comes highly recommended to anyone interested in the interface between ancient and medieval thought.

Robert Wisnovsky has tackled some of the most central and controversial issues involved in the interpretation of Avicenna's philosophy. The result is an original, illuminating, and extremely lucid exposition of Avicenna's views and how he arrived at them.

Robert Wisnovsky's judgments in Avicenna's Metaphysics in Context are based on a keen critical sense and sound knowledge of all the relevant texts, Greek and Arabic alike. The combination of historical and philological accuracy and philosophical insight make this book relatively rare among its kind in Arabic philosophy. Wisnovsky belongs to a new generation of scholars of Arabic philosophy who approach the subject with the seriousness, diligence, and expertise it deserves.

Wisnovsky's approach epitomizes what I see as the three most fruitful avenues for the study of the first few centuries of Arabic philosophy: taking late-antique thought (especially the commentators) into account and being attentive to details of the Arabic translations of philosophical works rather than imagining Avicenna and others as engaging directly with Greek sources. Wisnovsky's outstanding book should serve as a model for future research on Avicenna, and on the formative period of Arabic philosophy in general.