In the foreword to this collection of essays, world renown scholar of religion Huston Smith ranks Seyyed Hossein Nasr as an expert in Islamic studies and philosophy alongside Socrates, Plato, and other historical benchmark thinkers. This startling comparison is followed by editor William Chittick's survey of Nasr's life and work. He was a productive writer and teacher in Iran who came to America in 1979; in 1984 he took his present position at George Washington University. Chittick states that Nasr has brought a fresh perspective to Islamic studies with his knowledge of philosophy, cosmology, science, psychology, and spirituality.
This paperback is part of World Wisdom's Perennial Philosophy series. The first section is on Religion with essays on living in a multi-religious world, the traditionalist approach to religion, and religion and the environmental crisis. These are followed by pieces by Nasr on Islam — one God, prophets, the integration of the soul, mercy, and philosophy. The final section serves up essays on time and eternity, the wisdom of the body, consciousness, and more.
This erudite anthology edited by William Chittick demonstrates Nasr's deft handling of a wide selection of subject matter from religion and philosophy.
