Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul - by William C Chittick (Paperback)

About the Book

Islamic Intellectualism is dead: or so argues William Chittick in this radical new book challenging modern trends in religious thought. Whilst many may say that Islamic studies thrives as a subject, Chittick points to the words of one of his former Professors when describing young colleagues: "they know everything one can possibly know about a text, except what it says." Indeed, Chittick states that it is impossible to understand ancient Islamic texts without the years of contemplative study that are anathema to the modern education system. While the modern intellectual with faith often treats their studies and faith in two seperate spheres, Chittick argues that it is essential to return to the ways of the ancient Sufis, who viewed knowledge of the soul, the world, and God as an extension of the same thing, and he bemoans the loss of the spiritual and intellectual highs of the Medieval Islamic period.

Book Synopsis

With academic courses either encouraging commercialism, or cultivating zealots, Chittick states that it is impossible to understand classical Islamic texts without the years of contemplative study that are anathema to the modern education system. Insisting upon a return to the ways of the ancient wisdom tradition, which saw the quest for knowledge of the soul, the world, and God as a unifying spiritual discipline, Chittick maintains that the study of Islamic texts cannot be treated separately from self-understanding. Fascinating, radical, and a true challenge to modern trends in academic study, this book opens a new debate in Islamic thought.

Review Quotes

He is the most prolific scholar of Islamic philosophy and Sufism in the West. In this marvellous and original collection of essays for the first time Prof. Chittick offers his own personal reflections on the Science vs. Religion, Modernity vs. Tradition, and Reason vs. Revelation debates in Islam.-- "Leonard Lewisohn"

One of the most original and thought-provoking contributions to genuinely Islamic thought in the past half-century.-- "James Morris - Professor and Chair of Islamic Studies at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies a"

The fruit of a lifetime of reflection on the sources and central traditions of Islamic thought. One of the most original and thought-provoking contributions to genuinely Islamic thought in the past half-century. James Morris - Professor and Chair of Islamic Studies at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter Has the power of a complete re-evaluation of the Islamic intellectual tradition. Highly recommended. Ravi Ravindra - author of Science and the Sacred and Professor Emeritus, Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada William Chittick is the most exciting writer on Sufism today, combining as he does a genuine passion for the subject with a scholarly objectivity that is truly impressive. Oliver Leaman - Professor of Philosophy and Zantker Professor of Judaic Studies, University of Kentucky

William Chittick exploits his studied familiarity with Islamic intellectual tradition to offer a striking alternative: a mode of knowing which cannot escape the interior disciplines of knowing the self. Islam can return us to Socrates and to our own souls; are we ready?-- "David Burrell"

William Chittick is the most exciting writer on Sufism today, combining as he does a genuine passion for the subject with a scholarly objectivity that is truly impressive.-- "Ravi Ravindra - author of /Science and the Sacred/ and Professor Emeritus, Dalhousie University in H"

About the Author

William C. Chittick is professor of Persian Languages at Stony Brook University, New York. He is the author and translator of twenty-five books and one hundred articles on Islamic thought, Sufism, Shi'ism, and Persian literature, including Oneworld's Sufism: A Short Introduction.