Preface to the Second Edition
The present edition of this History of Islamic Philosophy,
which was first published in 1970, embodies a number of changes which I hope
will make this book even more useful to the reader than the first one. A number
of corrections have been made throughout the book, the final chapter expanded
somewhat and the bibliography updated and rearranged.
An author has a moral obligation to acknowledge his debt both
to those who praise and those who criticize his work, in so far as he can learn
from both. I was particularly gratified, when this book first appeared, by the
warm reception it met in certain academic quarters and the favorable reviews it
was given by a number of distinguished scholars, some of whom I knew personally
and some I did not. On the other hand, I was not unduly disturbed at the far
fewer criticisms or denigrations.
Perhaps it is necessary to state in conclusion that, while I
am fully aware of the shortcomings of the present book, I continue, after more
than ten years of study and reflection, and despite certain criticisms, to stick
to the overall thematic and historiographical schema originally adopted in
writing it.
Majid Fakhry
NOTE ON TRANSLATION OF ARABIC PASSAGES. Unless otherwise
indicated, the translation of Arabic excerpts is the work of the author. The
system of transliteration of Arabic terms and proper names adopted in this book
is, with slight modifications, that of the Encyclopaedia of Islam.
