Review (PDF) The Voyage And The Messenger: Iran And Philosophy
This work, incorporating previously unpublished interviews and articles, retraces the quest of Henry Corbin into the imaginal realm of the unseen self, the domains of angels and numinous beings. A study of religious philosophy, exploration of visionary faith, these pages offer a superb meditation of the great themes of Perso-Islamic mysticism—the Sufi theory of knowledge, the voyage within the soul, le rituel de la coupe—and an illuminating glimpse into the philosophic universes of Sohravardi, Ibn Arabi, and Molla Sarda Shirazi.
Paperback: 296 pages
Publisher: North Atlantic Books (September 9, 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1556432690
ISBN-13: 978-1556432699
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #726,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #52 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Islam > Shi'ism #286 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Islam > Sufism #307 in Books > History > Middle East > Iran
Even Henry Corbin's greatest admirers have to admit that he is not an easy read. There are two reasons for this, as I see it. One of them is his adherence to that peculiar French literary convention in non-fiction of assuming that the reader understands more than he or she actually does (the French have a name for this style, although at the moment I can't recall what it is).The other, more important reason is that it requires a considerable amount of unusual intellectual baggage to reach the point where you can begin to understand what Corbin is trying to say. In order to even consider embarking on Corbin's spiritual journey, it is extremely helpful to be familiar with Medieval Scholasticism, Islamic philosophy, Sufism, Shiite theology and Zoroastrianism. It also doesn't hurt to have a nodding acquaintance with Luther, the seventeenth century German mystics and Swedenborg. I don't know anybody who feels completely at home with all those topics; I know that I don't.Which is what makes this book so important for an understanding of Corbin. In fact, Corbin didn't put this book together; it is a compilation of various pieces of his writing. The book starts out with a lengthy intellectual biography of Corbin by Christopher Bamford, which helps considerably to set the stage. This is followed by two essays by Corbin on the development of Iranian studies and the history of Iranian philosophy. Both of these are rather long, and to me at least while I was reading them, they were rather boring. However, in retrospect I must admit that these essays probably do more to introduce Corbin's mindset than anything else that could have been selected. Following this are various, mostly short essays dealing with features of Iranian philosophy and mysticism.
The Voyage and the Messenger: Iran and Philosophy World Voyage Planner: Planning a voyage from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world (World Cruising Series Book 2) Sh'ma: A Journal of Jewish Responsibility -- Iran, Israel, and U.S. Foreign Policy (Iran, Israel and U.S. Foreign Policy Book 39) Particles and Astrophysics: A Multi-Messenger Approach (Astronomy and Astrophysics Library) Understand The Sayings (Hadith) Of The Messenger (Muhammad - P.B.U.H.) Of Allah (God): Islam For Humanity Series The Messenger (Gabriel Allon Series Book 6) The End of Comparative Philosophy and the Task of Comparative Thinking: Heidegger, Derrida, and Daoism (SUNY Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture) ... Chinese Philosophy and Culture (Paperback)) Facebook and Philosophy: What's on Your Mind? (Popular Culture and Philosophy) The Economy of the Earth: Philosophy, Law, and the Environment (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Public Policy) Star Trek and Philosophy: The Wrath of Kant (Popular Culture and Philosophy) The Princess Bride and Philosophy: Inconceivable! (Popular Culture and Philosophy) Stephen King and Philosophy (Great Authors and Philosophy) Adventure Time and Philosophy (Popular Culture and Philosophy) A History of Philosophy, Volume 3: Late Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy: Ockham, Francis Bacon, and the Beginning of the Modern World The Wrong of Injustice: Dehumanization and its Role in Feminist Philosophy (Studies in Feminist Philosophy) The Philosophy of Psychiatry: A Companion (International Perspectives in Philosophy and Psychiatry) Information, Freedom and Property: The Philosophy of Law Meets the Philosophy of Technology Nietzsche and Philosophy (Columbia Classics in Philosophy) The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology: An Introduction to Phenomenological Philosophy (Northwestern University Studies in Phenomenology & Existential Philosophy) The Feeling of Meaninglessness. A Challenge to Psychotherapy and Philosophy (Marquette Studies in Philosophy)
