Illuminationism

Abstract: Light has a transcendental and particular position in Islamic philosophy and theology. Quran’s consideration and emphasis on this issue is not concealed to anyone and a great number of writings are dedicated to Islamic theology and wisdom experts’ attentions. Position of light in Islamic opinion is that thinkers have attributed its main foundation to a hidden fact. They have assigned light degrees of identities and the material world all derived from the primary source. Islamic thinkers and mystics concerned about this sign and notion of light include: Avicenna, Al-Ghazali, Ala ud-Duala Simnani, Najm al-Din Razi, Shahab al-Din Suhrewardi, etc. and this research is in regard with the question that how light is expressed in designing monumental buildings? In this paper, authors initially noticed definitions and beliefs in light and its importance via collecting library references and former studies through a descriptive-analytic approach and field research on Shia religious buildings, particularly Safavid mosques; then reality of light was explored according to performed studies and analyzes; and finally, solutions were proposed to achieve purpose of monuments’ architectural design completely made up of concepts. In entire Iranian theology, mysterious relation of describing the origin of the universe has been defined and recognized through and by light. Presence of light evokes entity in architectural work and light’s being demonstrates cause of existence. Light signifies existence by its presence and therefore, it revives architectural form by its qualitative entity.

Abstract: Introduction. Syllabus for a World Civilization Course1. JAPANESE PHILOSOPHY--GRAHAM PARKES. A Life of Aesthetic Refinement: Sei Shonagon, From the Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. Impermanence as Buddha-Nature: Dogen Kigen, From Shobogenzo-Zuimonki. The Ubiquitously Mobile Mind: Takuan Soho, From the Unfettered Mind. Seeing into One's True Nature: Hakuin Ekaku, From the Zen Master Hakuin. Cut Flowers Suspended in Emptiness: Nishitani Keiji, From "The Japanese Art Arranged Flowers". 2. CHINESE PHILOSOPHY--DAVID L. HALL AND ROGER T. AMES. An Ambiguity of Order: China and the West. Classical Confucianism: excerpts from The Analects of Confucius The Book of Mencius The Hsun Tzu. Classical Taoism: excerpts from the Lao-tzu the Chuang-Tzu the Huai-nan Tzu. Book of Changes (I Ching): excerpts from the I Ching Wang Pi, "Commentary on the Book of Changes." Chinese Marxism: excerpt from Mao Tse-tung, On Contradictions. 3. SOUTH ASIAN PHILOSOPHY--STEPHEN H. PHILLIPS. Excerpts from the Rg Veda the Upanishads the Bhagavad-Gita the Yoga-sutra Nagarjuna', "Averting the Arguments" Madhava, The Charvaka System the Nyaya-sutra Sri Aurobindo, The Human Aspiration. 4. ARABIC PHILOSOPHY--ERIC L. ORMSBY. Abu Yusuf Ya-qub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi, from "On God." Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, from "On Reason." Abu Nasr al-Farabi, from "On Hierarchies of Existence" and "On Aristotle's De Interpretatione." Yahya ibn 'Adi, from "On Cultivation of Character." Abu 'Ali ibn Sina, from his Autobiography and from "The Soul Does Not Die with the Death of the Body It Is Incorruptible." Maimonides, from The Guide of the Perplexed. Abu al-Walid Ibn Rushd, from "On Creation." 5. PERSIAN PHILOSOPHY -- JANET McCRACKEN AND HOMAYOON SEPASI-TEHRANI. Pre-Islamic Persian Thought: Zoroastrianism: excerpts from Mary Boyce, Zoroastrians the Gathas the Avesta: "The Cow's Lament" and "The Two Spirits" Manichaeism: excerpt from Fihrist of al-Nadim Mazdakism. Post-Islamic Persian Thought: Early Islam The Shi'ites: excerpts from Nasir'i Khusraw, "Speech" and "Free Will and Determination Sufism: excerpt from Jalaluddin Rumi, Discourses Suhrawardi and Illuminationism: excerpts from Yahya Suhrawardi, "The Sound of Gabriel's Wing" and "A Tale of Occidental Exile" Sufi Poetry: excerpts from Jalaluddin Rumi, Divan a Shamsi-Tabriz Attar, "The Dullard Sage" Forughi, "Lover's Craft" Savaji, "The Drunken Universe" Hashemi, "The Tale of the Uniquely Beautiful. Mirror Maker" Jalaluddin Rumi, "The Mathnawi" The School of Esphahan and Ulla Sadra: excerpt from Mulla Sadra, The Wisdom of the Throne Rhazes' Platonism: excerpt from Rhazes, "On the Philosophic Life." 6. AMERICAN INDIAN PHILOSOPHY--J. BAIRD CALLICOTT AND THOMAS W. OVERHOLT. The Ojibwa Biotic Community: "The Woman Who Married a Beaver" (Traditional Ojibwa Tale) "The Moose and His Offspring" (Traditional Ojibwa Tale). The Lakota's Relatives: excerpts from John G. Neihardt, Black Elk Speaks John (Fire) Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes, Lame Deer: Seeker of Visions. From an Indian Land Aesthetic to a Land Ethic: excerpt from N. Scott Momaday, "A First American Views His Land." 7: LATIN AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY-- JORGE VALADEZ. Integrating Life and Death: excerpt from Octavio Paz, The Labyrinth of Solitude. An Artistic Vision of Metaphysical Truth: excerpt from Miguel Leon-Portilla, Aztec Thought and Culture. Latin American Philosophical Identity: excerpt from Augusto Salazar Bondy, The Meaning and Problem of Hispanic American Thought. Through the Eyes of the Oppressed: excerpt from Gustavo Gutierrez, The Power of the Poor in History. 8. AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY--JACQUELINE TRIMIER. Ethnophilosophy: excerpt from Placide Franz Tempels, Bantu Philosophy Leopold Sedar Senghor, "On Negrohood: Psychology of the African Negro." Professional Philosophy: excerpts from Paulin J. Hountondji, African Philosophy: Myth and Reality Theophilus Okere, "The Role of Prejudice and the Hermeneutical Circle." Philosophic Sagacity: excerpts from Henry Odera Oruka, "Sagacity in African Philosophy" J. O. Sopido, Knowledge, Belief, and Witchcraft. National-Ideological Philosophy: excerpts from Frantz Fanon, Concerning Violence Kwame Nkrumah, Consciencism. 9. "WESTERN" PHILOSOPHY--ROBERT C. SOLOMON AND KATHLEEN M. HIGGINS. Ancient ("Pagan") Philosophy: The Presocratics Socrates: excerpt from Plato, Crito Plato: excerpt from The Republic Aristotle: excerpts from Metaphysics and Nicomachean Ethics. Medieval (Christian) Philosophy: St. Augustine: excerpt from Confessions The Great Schism Scholasticism: excerpt from St. Anselm, Proslogion St. Thomas Aquinas: excerpt from Summa Theologica Jewish Philosophy The Reformation. Modern Philosophy: Descartes: excerpts from Meditations on First Philosophy and Discourse on Method Empiricism: excerpt from David Hume, Treatise of Human Nature Rationalism: excerpts from Immanuel Kant, Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics That Will Be Able to Come Forward as Science and Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals Social Philosophy, Hobbes, and Rousseau: excerpts from Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan Jean-Jacques Rousseau, On the Social Contract. The Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries: excerpts from G. W. F. Hegel, The Phenomenology of Spirit Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra.