BSHP Antognazza Lecture - Peter Adamson “Assent in the Philosophy of the Islamic World"

Peter Adamson (Ludwig Maximilians Universität, München, King's College London)

The BSHP Annual Lecture 2023

British Society for the History of Philosophy

Prof Peter Adamson

"Assent in the Philosophy of the Islamic World"

The British Society for the History of Philosophy's Annual Lecture, renamed the Antognazza Lecture in memory of Prof. Maria Rosa Antognazza (1964-2023) will take place on Thursday 23rd November, in the Safra Theatre, at King's College London, Strand Campus, WC2R 2LS, from 7pm-9pm.

Inspired by Maria Rosa Antognazza's formidable final work of philosophy, Thinking with Assent: Renewing a Traditional Account of Knowledge and Belief, this talk will explore her idea that knowledge and belief are very different kinds of 'assent'.  Antognazza argues that, until very recently in the history of philosophy, knowledge was sharply contrasted with belief.  For her, the modern-day attempt to understand it as a type of belief is a philosophical wrong turn.  This lecture will approach these same ideas, but in a context not covered in her otherwise historically comprehensive book: the Islamic world.  Here we find further confirmation of Antognazza's historical thesis in the form of a widely-accepted theory centred on the concept of "assent  (taṣdīq).This theory began in the Arabic tradition with al-Fārābī and was further  developed by Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna), but as we will see, gave rise to problems and objections - albeit without ever questioning the basic idea that it is assent, and not belief, that is the most fundamental notion for logic and epistemology.

The Lecture will be given by Prof. Peter Adamson (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich/King’s College London), Attendance is free but registration is required. Registration here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/kingscollegelondon6/1048590