Immediate Knowledge in Later Islamic Philosophy (Avicenna to Dawānī)

• Applicant: Dr. Hassan Rezakhany
• Subject Area: History of Philosophy ; Islamic Studies, Arabian Studies, Semitic Studies
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 541506773

Immediate knowledge—i.e., knowledge independent of reasoning—was a foundational topic of inquiry for Islamic philosophers from Avicenna (d. 1037) to Dawānī (d. 1501).The main deliverables of my fellowship will be (I) an article on Rāzī’s (d. 1210) unusual positions on immediate knowledge, (II) an article on Dawānī’s relativization of immediate knowledge, and (III) a groundbreaking monograph on immediate knowledge in Islamic philosophy from Avicenna to Dawānī. The research project’s main objectives are to (1) identify, explicate, and analyse the essential properties and per se accidents of immediate knowledge; (2) examine the proofs for the existence of immediate knowledge and the sceptical challenges it faces; (3) evaluate and criticize the tradition’s theses about and arguments for immediate knowledge; and (4) investigate the historical aspects of immediate knowledge from Avicenna to Dawānī. The project is significant both philosophically as well as historically. It is philosophically significant because it (A) clearly identifies and explicates a foundational epistemological category, viz. immediate knowledge; (B) elaborates methods for potentially resolving long-standing and apparently irresolvable philosophical disagreements; and (C) engages sceptical arguments and attempts to ground the foundations of knowledge. It is historically significant because it (D) elucidates the foundations of the epistemological framework of Islamic philosophy, creating a cascade effect whereby virtually all other research on Islamic philosophy will be enhanced; (E) evaluates the decline narrative by subjecting it to a forceful test case; and (F) contributes to a re-periodization of the history of Islamic philosophy by identifying shifting trends in the adoption of fundamental philosophical positions over several centuries. My training and prior research qualify me (a) philologically, (b) historically, and (c) philosophically to successfully carry out the proposed research project. (a) My command of classical Arabic and the philosophical technical terminology is very strong. (b) I have 10 years of active experience with the relevant post-classical philosophical sources. (c) My recent research on immediate judgements, reasoning, and paradoxes of self-reference well prepares me for the project’s philosophical dimensions. The fellowship will significantly enhance my career, both via achieving the research objectives as well as via various other career opportunities afforded by my time in Freiburg. By producing the project’s publication deliverables, I will bolster my profile as an internationally recognized expert. By participating in conferences, my network will expand and yield more contacts to call on in my search for future research collaborations. By teaching a module and seminar on Islamic philosophy, I will be more competitive for tenure-track positions.

• DFG Programme: WBP Position