The World of Image in Islamic Philosophy: Ibn Sina, Suhrawardi, Shahrazuri and Beyond

One of the most controversial issues that divided Islamic philosophers and theologians during the Middle Ages was whether human beings would have a spiritual or bodily existence after death. The idea of a world of image was conceived as a solution, suggesting that there exists a world of non-physical (imagined) bodies, beyond our earthly existence. This world may be reached in sleep, in meditation or after death.From the embryonic conception by Ibn Sina, to the radical rethinking by Suhrawardi and Shahrazuri into a sophisticated system, L. W. C. van Lit unravels the history of this idea. Using a distant reading approach for measuring the transmission, he further shows how the idea remained relevant for Muslim thinkers through the centuries, up until today.

Author: L. W. C. Van Lit
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Published: 11/14/2018
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.60d
ISBN: 9781474441230

About the Author
L. W. C. van Lit is a Lecturer in the Department of Religious Studies at Yale University.