Background
Fakhry, Majid F. was born on January 6, 1923 in Zerarieh.
Moral philosopher historian of Islamic philosophy
Fakhry, Majid F. was born on January 6, 1923 in Zerarieh.
American University of Beirut and University of Edinburgh.
Posts at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, Lebanese National University, Georgetown University, American University of Beirut and then Georgetown. Visiting posts at Princeton, Kuwait and University of California, Los Angeles.
Majid Fakhry did a great deal to foster the study of Islamic philosophy both in the Islamic world and in the West. The clarity with which he expounded the ideas of the main philosophers brought a new perspective to the area, and his broad historical grasp enabled him to present their ideas within the appropriate context. His many books on particular Islamic philosophers have made an important contribution to the understanding of the subject and established strict criteria of exposition in a field which up to then was sometimes rather loose. His most important work is undoubtedly his History of Islamic Philosophy (1970), which for the first time brought together the very diverse thinkers in the Islamic world and linked them perspicuously to Greek philosophy on the one hand and to Islamic theology on the other. He has made important contributions to the undertanding of many aspects of Islamic philosophy, but perhaps his most concentrated work has been in ethics. Here his mastery of Greek philosophy and Islamic theology has enabled him to present the ideas of some of the main ethical philosophers in ways not previously realized. His many contributions to conferences and journals have had an important impact upon the way in which the history of Islamic philosophy is studied today.