Author Description

Tracing the course of thought, action, and expression in the golden age of Islamic civilization. Lenn E. Goodman's Islamic Humanism paints a vivid panorama that departs strikingly from the all too familiar image of Islamic dogma, authoritarianism, and militancy. Among the poets and philosophers scientists and historians, ethicists and mystics of Islam, Goodman finds a warm and vital humanism, committed to the pursuit of knowledge and to the cosmopolitan values of generosity, tolerance, and understanding. Drawing on a wide range of writings, from love poetry to pietism, to satire, to history and metaphysics, and on to hunting, music and the dance, clothing, politics, and the marketplace. Goodman discloses the rich texture of classical Islamic civilization - its distinctive problematics and the space it left for the talents and creativity of the individual. His philosophic openness and easy familiarity with the monuments of Western civilization allow him to place Islamic humanism securely in its larger context, revealing clearly what is of universal and abiding vitality and interest.