{"product_id":"dont-think-for-yourself-authority-and-belief-in-medieval-philosophy-paperback","title":"Don't Think for Yourself: Authority and Belief in Medieval Philosophy - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003ePeter Adamson\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow do we judge whether we should be willing to follow the views of experts or whether we ought to try to come to our own, independent views? This book seeks the answer in medieval philosophical thought.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this engaging study into the history of philosophy and epistemology, Peter Adamson provides an answer to a question as relevant today as it was in the medieval period: how and when should we turn to the authoritative expertise of other people in forming our own beliefs? He challenges us to reconsider our approach to this question through a constructive recovery of the intellectual and cultural traditions of the Islamic world, the Byzantine Empire, and Latin Christendom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAdamson begins by foregrounding the distinction in Islamic philosophy between \u003cem\u003etaqlīd\u003c\/em\u003e, or the uncritical acceptance of authority, and \u003cem\u003eijtihād\u003c\/em\u003e, or judgment based on independent effort, the latter of which was particularly prized in Islamic law, theology, and philosophy during the medieval period. He then demonstrates how the Islamic tradition paves the way for the development of what he calls a \"justified \u003cem\u003etaqlīd\u003c\/em\u003e,\" according to which one develops the skills necessary to critically and selectively follow an authority based on their reliability. The book proceeds to reconfigure our understanding of the relation between authority and independent thought in the medieval world by illuminating how women found spaces to assert their own intellectual authority, how medieval writers evaluated the authoritative status of Plato and Aristotle, and how independent reasoning was deployed to defend one Abrahamic faith against the other. This clear and eloquently written book will interest scholars in and enthusiasts of medieval philosophy, Islamic studies, Byzantine studies, and the history of thought.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePeter Adamson is professor of philosophy at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. He is the author and co-author of a number of books, including \u003ci\u003eA History of Philosophy without Any Gaps: \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cem\u003ePhilosophy in the Islamic World\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 194\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.41 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 15, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51774178165024,"sku":"9780268203405","price":81.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/bcf6a794acd0c908e068435aa537f859.webp?v=1780442723","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/dont-think-for-yourself-authority-and-belief-in-medieval-philosophy-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}