Professor Seyyed Hossain Nasr | The Five Volumes of Persian Philosophy [For Persoanl Education Only]

 The Five Volumes of Persian Philosophy: A 30-Year Odyssey

 

Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Professor of Islamic Studies, George Washington University

In this interview, Professor Seyyed Hosain Nasr describes the creation of his monumental five-volume anthology on Persian philosophy, a project spanning over three decades. He details how the work was originally commissioned by UNESCO to document a 2,500-year intellectual tradition stretching from pre-Islamic Zoroastrian thought to modern times. Nasr emphasizes that the collection is organized by schools of thought rather than simple chronology, highlighting the "main trunk" of Islamic philosophy that flourished in Persia and influenced global discourse. A significant portion of the work is dedicated to Ismaili philosophy, which Nasr argues has been historically overlooked despite its profound impact on the mainstream Islamic intellectual heritage. Ultimately, he presents these volumes not as mere history, but as a living philosophical resource that challenges the secularized definitions of modern Western thought. The project seeks to restore Persian philosophy to its rightful place on the global stage by making rare and technical texts accessible to an English-speaking audience.

 

Summary

In this video, Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr presents several core philosophical, historical, and methodological arguments regarding Persian philosophy and his 30-year, 5-volume project, An Anthology of Persian Philosophy:

1. Traditional Philosophy vs. Modern Western Philosophy

• Intellect and Revelation: Modern Western philosophy is a purely mental activity restricted to human reason, whereas traditional philosophy (Islamic, Christian, Indian, Chinese) relies on both the intellect and Revelation.
• Definition of Philosophy: Nasr defines Islamic philosophy through a classical Arabic concept: "man becoming an intellectual Universe reflecting the objective universe"—the inward realization of all objective realities within oneself.
• Secularization: Western thought underwent complete secularization starting in the Renaissance (exemplified by Descartes' Cogito ergo sum, which severed the thinking self from the Divine). In contrast, Islamic philosophy was never completely secularized.
• Etymology vs. Content: Although the word philosophia originates from Greek (Pythagoras defining it as the "love of wisdom"), its substantive content differs fundamentally across civilizations.

2. The 800-Year Continuous Persian Tradition

• Refuting the "Death" of Islamic Philosophy: Nasr rejects the Western misconception that Islamic philosophy died after Al-Ghazali or Averroes. Instead, an unbroken 800-year tradition flourished in Persia from Suhrawardi (School of Illumination) through Mulla Sadra and the School of Isfahan up to the present day.
• Persian Intellectual Foci: Almost all early major Islamic philosophers (such as Avicenna and Farabi) were deeply linked to the Persian cultural sphere. Persia served as the main trunk of Islamic philosophy, with major branches extending into Ottoman Turkey and Muslim India.

3. Transition from Mythological to Conceptual Language

• Pre-Islamic vs. Islamic Thought: Pre-Islamic Persian thought (Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Zurvanism) was enmeshed in a mythological worldview.
• Conceptual Liberation: Islam expressed cosmic truths in abstract, conceptual terms rather than myth, which freed immense Persian mental energy and sparked a dramatic flowering of philosophy.

4. Reintegrating Ismaili Philosophy

• Mainstream Intellectual Force: Ismaili thought was not an obscure fringe movement, but a central component of mainstream Islamic intellectual discourse that directly influenced thinkers like Avicenna and provoked major debates with Al-Ghazali.
• Remedying Academic Omission: Standard Western histories and university curricula routinely omit Ismaili thought. Dedicating an entire volume of the anthology to Ismaili philosophy restores its proper place in global intellectual history.

5. Living Philosophy vs. Static Intellectual History

• Structure by Schools of Thought: The 5-volume anthology structures 2,500 years of thought (from the Achaemenid/Zoroastrian era to the 20th century) by internal schools of thought and principles rather than strict mechanical timelines or individual biographies.
• Countering Eurocentrism and Nationalism: Nasr challenges Eurocentric frameworks that equate philosophy strictly with Western Europe, as well as Arab nationalist attempts to rebrand all Islamic philosophy as "Arab philosophy".
• Living Answers to Human Existence: The anthology treats Persian philosophy not as static "intellectual history," but as living philosophy that addresses core existential questions ("Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?") which modern Western philosophy has largely abandoned.

 

Manuscript

Here is the structured manuscript transcript of Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr's address on An Anthology of Persian Philosophy, drawn directly from his spoken talk:

1. Origin and Scope of the 30-Year Project

"The project originally began with a small amount of funding sent from UNESCO. After all the events occurred and I was exiled to the West, Raymond Klibansky wrote to me saying that this work had to be done. As soon as I settled in the West as a professor at Temple University, I thought that if I were to undertake this, it should be a major work covering 2,500 years of philosophical thought from the Achaemenid period through the Zoroastrian era and the Islamic period up to the 20th and 21st centuries.

I began working on the first volume alongside Dr. M. Aminrazavi, who was then doing his PhD with me at Temple University—a very gifted young scholar and philosopher with whom I consulted throughout the project. What began as a project I never imagined would take three decades turned out to be a 30-year effort that is now complete."

2. Structuring by Schools of Thought

"The anthology does not follow a simple mechanical timeline. Volume 1 covers a wide span from the Achaemenid period, the Gathas, and Zoroastrian texts like the Bundahishn to the first few centuries of Islamic philosophy in Persia. Rather than proceeding purely chronologically, the work is structured according to internal schools of thought. For example, one single volume is devoted entirely to Ismaili philosophy.

Structuring the five volumes was one of the most creative and difficult parts of my task. Selecting 50 pages of text out of 200 books written by a single thinker like Avicenna was an onerous responsibility. We had to locate the correct manuscripts or printed editions, select translators, and uniformize technical philosophical terms—such as ensuring that the word jowhar is consistently translated as 'substance'—to maintain philosophical cohesion."

3. The Nature and Definition of Philosophy

"The term philosophy originates from the Greek philosophia, coined by Pythagoras in the 6th century BC as an act of humility, defining philosophers not as sophos (possessors of wisdom), but as lovers of wisdom. However, while the word is shared, its substantive content varies fundamentally across civilizations.

In modern Western philosophy, philosophy has become a purely mental activity restricted to human reason. In contrast, traditional philosophy—whether Islamic, Indian, Chinese, or Christian—relies on two sources alien to modern Western thought: Intellect and Revelation.

Islamic philosophers offer several profound definitions of philosophy, including the classical Arabic definition: 'man becoming an intellectual Universe reflecting the objective universe'—the inward realization of all objective realities. Throughout my life, I have engaged in debates with logical positivists like A.J. Ayer and thinkers like Bertrand Russell, who argued that this is theology rather than philosophy; my response has always been that it depends entirely on how one defines philosophy."

4. Secularization vs. The Islamic Tradition

"In the West, starting in the Renaissance, philosophy underwent a complete process of secularization. Thinkers like Descartes, with the Cogito ergo sum ('I think, therefore I am'), separated the thinking self from the Divine.

This radical secularization never occurred in the Islamic world. While Christian philosophy in the medieval period (Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, Duns Scotus) shared strong parallels with Islamic thought in intertwining philosophy, religion, and mysticism, Western philosophy subsequently severed those ties. Islamic philosophy maintained its traditional integration."

5. From Mythological Language to Conceptual Philosophy

"Pre-Islamic Persian thought in the Zoroastrian, Manichaean, and Zurvanite traditions possessed a rich philosophical heritage, but it was enmeshed in a mythological worldview.

When Islam arrived, it presented cosmic and divine truths in abstract, conceptual terms rather than through myths or physical icons. This conceptual expression liberated an immense amount of Persian mental energy, resulting in an extraordinary flowering of philosophy in Persia. Virtually all early major Islamic philosophers—such as Farabi, Sijistani, and Avicenna (Ibn Sina)—were deeply connected to the Persian cultural sphere."

6. The 800-Year Unbroken Lineage in Persia

"A widespread misconception in Western scholarship claims that Islamic philosophy died after Al-Ghazali or Averroes. In reality, while philosophy diminished in the Western Arab world after Averroes, an unbroken 800-year philosophical tradition flourished in Persia.

Starting with Suhrawardi and the School of Illumination in the 12th century, this lineage continued through Mulla Sadra and the School of Isfahan up to the present day. Persia served as the main trunk of this philosophical tree, with major historical centers in Khurasan, Rayy, Shiraz, Isfahan, and Tehran, extending branches into Ottoman Turkey and Muslim India."

7. Restoring Ismaili Philosophy

"Standard university curricula and Western histories routinely omit Ismaili philosophy. Yet, Ismaili thought was not an obscure fringe movement; it was a major component of mainstream Islamic intellectual discourse.

Ismaili thinkers produced profound philosophical works, such as the Umm al-Kitab, directly influenced major figures like Avicenna, and provoked Al-Ghazali to write a major philosophical rebuttal. Allocating an entire volume to Ismaili philosophy rectifies a long-standing academic oversight."

8. Living Philosophy for a Global Audience

"This 5-volume anthology serves multiple purposes. Culturally and historically, it restores self-awareness to Iran, counters Arab nationalist attempts to rebrand Islamic philosophy as 'Arab philosophy,' and challenges Eurocentric views that equate philosophy strictly with Western Europe.

Most importantly, this work is not mere intellectual history; it is living philosophy. It provides raw material addressing the central existential questions of human life—'Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'—questions that modern Western philosophy departments have largely abandoned. It offers humanity access to a vast, living reservoir of wisdom."

 

Summary Report: Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s An Anthology of Persian Philosophy

1. Project Origins and the 30-Year Odyssey

The genesis of this monumental project lies in the mid-1970s, following Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s election to the International Institute of Philosophy in France—the first Muslim scholar so honored. This appointment attracted the attention of Raymond Klibansky, the Institute’s president and a preeminent philosopher of the Renaissance. During a visit to Iran, Klibansky suggested to the Queen that the nation’s historical status as a global center of wisdom necessitated a formal academy. This proposal reinforced Nasr’s own vision; he had already founded the Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy, which enjoyed five years of vibrant intellectual activity before the 1979 Revolution.

In parallel, UNESCO had mandated a series of anthologies to document the philosophical contributions of major civilizations. Nasr accepted the direction of the Persian volume, but the ensuing Revolution and his subsequent exile to the West fundamentally altered the project’s trajectory. While at Temple University, Nasr reimagined the work as a colossal five-volume odyssey spanning 2,500 years of thought. Collaborating for over three decades with Dr. Mehdi Amin Razavi and a global network of "former students and colleagues," Nasr oversaw a production that navigated the following primary challenges:

• The Art of Exclusion: Nasr likens the selection process to cutting through "gold foil." When dealing with masters such as Mulla Sadra—who penned over 200 works—the challenge was not finding material, but deciding which "gold" to omit to fit within the allotted 50-page limit.
• The Scarcity of Proficient Scholars: The project was hampered by a global shortage of expertise. No more than 30 to 40 scholars worldwide possessed the rare trinity of skills required: mastery of philosophical Arabic, philosophical Persian, and the English fluency necessary to render technical concepts accurately.
• Technical Uniformity: To ensure philosophical cohesion, the editors had to strictly uniformize technical vocabulary. For instance, the term Jauhar was meticulously rendered as "substance" across all translations to maintain a rigorous intellectual thread.

2. The Conceptual Divide: Traditional vs. Modern Western Philosophy

Nasr emphasizes that while the term "philosophy" originates from the Greek philosophia (the love of wisdom, distinguished by Pythagoras from the Sophos or possessor of wisdom), the internal content of the discipline underwent a radical divergence in the 15th century.

Traditional Philosophy vs. Modern Western Philosophy

Attribute	Traditional (Islamic/Persian) Philosophy	Modern Western Philosophy
The Source of Knowledge	Rooted in the Intellect (Intellectus), viewed as a Divine gift, and Revelation.	Based primarily on Reason and secular logic-based inquiry.
Status of the Subject	The "I" is integrated with the Divine and the Sacred.	The secularized Cogito Ergo Sum; the "I" is separated from the Sacred.
The Goal of Philosophy	To become an "intellectual universe" reflecting the objective universe.	Viewed as a "mental activity" or a tool for logical analysis.

Nasr identifies the 15th century as the "parting of ways" between these worlds. In the West, the intellectus—the faculty of spiritual vision—was reduced to mere reason, and philosophy became a secularized activity. Conversely, the Persian tradition maintained the interplay of philosophy, mysticism, and religion, preserving the intellect as the "eye of the heart."

3. The 2,500-Year Persian Continuum: From Achaemenids to the 20th Century

The anthology adopts a "metahistorical" scope, rejecting a simple linear chronology in favor of a structure defined by schools of thought. This approach captures the "living river" of Persian wisdom from the Achaemenid period and the Zoroastrian Gathas through to the 20th-century Pahlavi era. The work highlights specific geographic and intellectual centers, or foci, including:

• Shiraz and Isfahan
• Tehran
• Maragheh and Azerbaijan

A pivotal transition occurred with the move from the "mythological" language of pre-Islamic traditions (Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism) to the "conceptual" language of Islam. Nasr argues that Islam’s reliance on abstract concepts (e.g., God as "Compassionate") rather than icons or myths "freed a tremendous amount of mental energy." By removing the need for iconographic mediation, Persian thinkers like Al-Farabi and Ibn Sina were able to channel their intellectual vigor into a flowering of abstract philosophical productivity that remains astounding in its depth.

4. The 800-Year Tradition and the "Main Trunk" of Philosophy

Nasr vigorously challenges the Western "myth of decline," which posits that Islamic philosophy perished after the 12th-century critiques of Al-Ghazali. While philosophy may have receded in the Arab West following the death of Averroes (Ibn Rushd), it entered a 800-year golden age in the Eastern Islamic world.

Nasr identifies Suhrawardi (the founder of the School of Illumination) as the starting point for this Eastern flowering, with Mulla Sadra serving as its later anchor. He describes the Persian tradition as the "Main Trunk" of this intellectual tree, with two significant branches:

• Muslim India
• Ottoman Turkey

Despite being "Terra Incognito" to most global philosophical circles, this tradition represents a continuous, unbroken chain of discourse that remained vibrant while Western philosophy was undergoing its secular transformation.

5. The Reintegration of Ismaili Philosophy

Volume 2 is dedicated exclusively to Ismaili philosophy, a decision Nasr justifies by noting that the community’s intellectual impact far outweighed its numerical size. During the Fatimid period, Ismaili thought was not a peripheral sect but a central pillar of mainstream Islamic discourse.

The gravity of this tradition is evidenced by the fact that a figure as monumental as Al-Ghazali was commissioned by the Caliph to write a formal rebuttal to Ismaili thought, proving its philosophical weight. The anthology highlights the Umm al-Kitab (The Mother Book), an archetypal dialogue between an Ismaili and a Deva. By documenting how Ismaili thinkers influenced—and were challenged by—figures like Ibn Sina, this anthology serves as a vital corrective to standard curricula that have historically "lost" or ignored this essential branch of wisdom.

6. Philosophy as Living Wisdom and Global Application

Nasr concludes that the anthology is not a graveyard of dates but a presentation of "living" philosophy that addresses the immutable existential questions: Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? The project fulfills two primary objectives:

1. Cultural and Historical: It places Persia on the global philosophical map and restores a sense of self-awareness to Iranians regarding their intellectual lineage.
2. Philosophical: It provides the "raw material" for contemporary global thought, offering a vast tradition of inquiry to a world that has largely abandoned these primary questions.

Ultimately, Nasr views the five volumes as a "major monument" to Persian culture. He compares the work to the "Persepolis of Persian architecture" or a masterwork miniature by Behzad. Just as one appreciates these artistic feats for their intrinsic beauty and utility rather than as mere historical artifacts, this anthology is offered as a living contribution to the global search for truth.

 

NOTE:

These posts are for my own learning, and created using AI. The source is mentioned above and NotebookLM has been used in the process. Period. 

 

Persian Podcast

 

Powered by RedCircle