Review

Author(s): Kiki Kennedy-Day

Review by: Kiki Kennedy-Day
Source: Philosophy East and West, Vol. 56, No. 1 (Jan., 2006), pp. 180-182
Published by: University of Hawai'i Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4488008
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of regressionsfinally retorts,"Isuppose [the firstBuddha]fell from the sky or else he

sprang up out of the earth."1I think Faurewould agree that it must be one or the
other, or perhapsa combinationof the two.
Note
1 - Essaysin Idleness,trans.DonaldKeene(Tokyo:CharlesE.Tuttle,1981;reprint,Columbia
University Press, 1967).

The Heartof Islamic Philosophy:The Quest for Self-Knowledgein the Teachingsof

Afdal al-Din Kashani.By William C. Chittick. New York:Oxford University Press,
2001. Pp. 360. Hardcover.
Reviewedby KikiKennedy-DayRutgersUniversity-Newark
Areyou tiredof feeling that the scientificallyquantifiableworld is not all there is, but
that most books about philosophy are airy-fairyor pie-in-the-sky?Then The Heartof
Islamic Philosophy:The Quest for Self-Knowledgein the Teachingsof Afdal al-Din
Kashaniby William C. Chittickhas somethingto say to you. Chitticksuccinctly analyzes the limitationsof scientism in his preview of the ends of Islamic philosophy
(especially pp. 34-37). One could not make a better argument for exploring the
Real beyond appearancesthan Chittickdoes.
As we look around ourselves in the wreckage of the world-abuse at Abu
Ghraibprison, "ghost"prisonersat GuantanamoBay, tens of thousands of refugees
at Darfur-we may feel that the world could use more philosophy. Since travelingin
our currentdirection is leading to spiritualbankruptcyin our souls, perhaps a solid
spiritualunderstandingof the universewould help?
The author'sstated goals are to introducethe majorthemes of Islamic philosophy and to introducethe PersianphilosopherAfdal al-Din Kashaniin Englishtranslation. The book consists of two parts:part 1 an overview of Islamicphilosophy and
part 2 the writings of Baba Afdal. In part 1 Chittick moves from the particularto
the general, here from Afdal al-Din Muhammadibn Hasan Kashani(d. A.H.610 /
A.D. 1213-1214) to the perspective of Islamic philosophy and the perspectives of
philosophy in general. Chitticksketches al-Kashani'slife, moving from his tomb in
Maraq, Iran,to recalling highlightsof the philosopher's life. When one considers
the near-contemporariesof al-Kashanithey are so illustriousas to make one's head
spin: Ibn Rushd, Ibn al-'Arabi,and Nasir al-Din Tusi. More than any other details,
these scholars place al-Kashaniin the intellectual major leagues. Chittickalso mentions that al-Kashanibelieves in philosophy as a praxis, a way of life to be implemented as well as an exercise of reasoning. He sees philosophy as trainingthe soul
with the knowledge of the mind.
Chapter2 forms an excellent introductionto Islamicphilosophy for the curious
reader. He begins by nailing some of the current problems in studying Islamic
thought. He mentions everythingfrom considering the dogmas of religion beneath

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PhilosophyEast& West Volume 56, Number1 January2006 180-182

? 2006 by Universityof Hawai'iPress

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study to the refusalto accept what philosopherssay at face value. Basically it is our
own prejudices and views that prevent us from being able to understand their
perspectives.The specific issues of Islamic philosophersthat Chittickdiscusses are
understandingGod,,the meaning of prophecy, and the "Originand Return"-how
the world came to be and our returnto God afterdeath.
Chittickalso providesa much-needed antidoteto the tendency of many modern
scholarsto over-Hellenize Islamicphilosophy, while at the same time, failingto refer
to either the Qur'an or Islamic civil society. He locates the problem with modern
thought in an inabilityto graspany notion that refersto quality ratherthan quantity.
(This can be seen even more vividly in recent attempts by American economists
to give a dollarvalue to happinesson the success chart.)While quantificationis necessary in analytic science, it stifles thought in symbolic, metaphorical,or religious
discovery.
In part 2, the Writingssection actually begins with relevant backgroundtexts,
includingAristotle,pseudo-Aristotle(The Treatiseon the Apple), Hermes, and Ghazali (TheAlchemy of Felicity).Then we move on to the Baba Afdal's own writings,
including quatrains,essays, letters, and others. These writings show the range of
Afdalal-Din Kashani'sinterests:moving fromthe practical(chapter5) to the theoretical (chapter6). Among the writingsin chapter 5 we find his letterto Majdal-Din. It
shows al-Kashani'sclear-sightedunderstandingof human naturewhen he says, "The
fact that most people these days get along badly with each other is precisely because
they are fed up with seeing each other's doing and talking"(p. 139). Then he continues with the sad advice that the more dishonorable person achieves a greater
reputationand more respect. Those who find solace in the unwaveringpettiness of
human behaviorwill be encouraged to see that human naturehas not changed.
In the theoretical section, Chittick includes al-Kashani'sadvice to kings in the
treatise entitled "The Makingsand Ornaments of Well-Provisioned Kings."In his
earlierMirrorfor Princes, Nizam al-Mulkbrieflydescribes that the metaphysicalposition of the king is higherthan that of his subjects. He then describes various obligationsof justice that the rulerowes subjects and how to fulfillthem, with advice on
everythingfromavoiding conflictsof interestin appointingofficialsto choosing boon
companions in what was a standardformat. In contrast,al-Kashani'sanalysis, "The
Makingsand Ornamentsof Well-ProvisionedKings,"is more abstract,and differsin
that it discusses the perfectionof the soul as well as that of the king. Al-Kashanialso
tells the kingto compare the functionsof the governmentwith the functioningof his
body. The king is instructedto nurturehis subjects so that they may achieve perfection and avoid blight.
Chittick,who is perhaps best known for his translationsof Ibn 'Arabi'sworks
(fromthe Arabic),continues to expand our knowledge of Islamic philosophy here
with a Neoplatonic philosopher. While acknowledging the debt al-Kashani owes to
Hellenic thinking, particularly Plotinus, he constantly emphasizes that Islamic philosophy has its own place separate from Greek philosophy.
In conclusion I cannot overstate the importance of Chittick's contribution to the
understanding of Islamic philosophy. The introductory chapters of his book form a

Book Reviews

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181

brilliantanalysis of philosophy and particularlyIslamic philosophy. Since it also

includes a bibliographyof al-Kashani'sknown works, this book will be an invaluable
addition to our knowledge of Islamicphilosophers. Anothertranslationof a Persian
work into Englishis very welcome, particularlyby a translatorwith such a proven
track record. The inquisitive reader will also be rewarded with the derivation of
anniyya and its putativeorigins (p. 317 n. 18). This reviewerwas delighted to come
upon a reasonable analysis of anniyya beyond an abstrusejournal article in three
languages (Greek, Syriac, and Arabic) from the 1950s, discussing its derivation
from the Syriac-one of those articles that everyone is requiredto quote but no
one understands.May Chittick'sperspicacious note replace it.

The Shape of Ancient Thought.By Thomas McEvilley. New York:Allworth Press,

2002. Pp. xxxvi + 732. $35.00.
Reviewedby WillS. Rasmussen King'sCollegeLondon
The Shape of Ancient Thought,Thomas McEvilley's magnum opus of over thirty
years' preparation,drawstogetheran encyclopedic arrayof texts and archaeological
evidence from Greece and India,which he employs in clearly writtenargumentstoward an answerto a volatile question:just how indebtedto each other are Indiaand
Greece for their philosophical ideas and techniques?The subject is volatile in that it
often arouses the rancorof challenged claims to intellectualpropertyor culturalsuperiority,and the authorshows admirablesensitivityby arguingto his conclusions in
a way that explicitly eschews the lesser motives of rivalryand self-aggrandizement;
instead he promotesthe appreciationof a passion and genius for philosophy that is
shared equally in the Eastand the West. McEvilleyhas collected for his purposes a
treasuryof key passagesfromGreekand Indianphilosophy, and this review will seek
to give some idea of the vast scope of his work and to assess its contributionto our
understandingof philosophy.
In his ForewordMcEvilleysays that his book will challenge a dichotomy, which
prevails in Western thinking,that divides the ancient world of thought into Greek
and non-Greek.Greek thought is characterizedas that which is rational,and nonGreek thought as that which is irrational,antirational,or at least nonrational. He
faults E. R. Dodds' The Greek and the Irrationalfor supportingthis dichotomy, by
which Orphismand even certain elements of Plato become assigned, solely by virtue of their nonrationalcharacter,to Orientalprovenance. He condemns as "deeply
and glaringlyfalse" W.K.C. Guthrie'sHistoryof Greek Philosophy for disparaging
the comparisonof Indianand Greek philosophy on the grounds that their motives,
methods, and backgroundof thought are so utterly different. In such a spirit he
undertakesto prove by argumentationand a "sea of evidence" the invalidity of so
brusquea dismissalof Indianphilosophy.
The restof the Forewordexplores how the post-Enlightenment"OrientalRenaissance," that is, the discovery by nineteenth-centuryEuropeof India as "the primal

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Philosophy East & West Volume 56, Number 1 January 2006 182-191
? 2006 by University of Hawai'i Press

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