The Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy was established by Hossein Nasr at the request of Empress Farah Pahlavi, quickly becoming a central institution for philosophical discourse in the Islamic world. Born in Tehran in 1933, Nasr eventually moved to the United States for his advanced education, where he began a long-standing academic career dedicated to Islamic sciences and perennialist philosophy.
Academic Formation
Nasr attended the Peddie School in New Jersey before entering the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a bachelor's degree in physics. He transitioned to Harvard University to pursue graduate studies in geology and geophysics, followed by a doctorate in the history of science. His doctoral research, supervised by I. Bernard Cohen, Hamilton Gibb, and Harry Wolfson, resulted in the publication of An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines. During his student years, he expanded his linguistic capabilities to include Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, and German.
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Upon completing his education in 1958, Nasr declined faculty offers from both MIT and Harvard to return to his homeland. He accepted a position at Tehran University, where he taught philosophy and Islamic sciences. His administrative roles included serving as vice-chancellor of Tehran University and president of Aryamehr University. He also held teaching positions at the Sharif University of Technology. During this period, he continued learning from traditional masters of Islamic thought.
Exile and Scholarly Output
Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Nasr moved to the United States with his family. He has since taught Islamic sciences and philosophy, currently holding a professorship at George Washington University. His scholarship focuses on a critique of modern secular worldviews and the promotion of perennialist principles, arguing that contemporary knowledge requires resacralization through sacred traditions. His extensive body of work includes over fifty books and more than five hundred articles. In 2010, he was awarded the Gittler Prize.
Fast facts
- Born: 1933, Tehran, Iran
- Education: Peddie School, MIT, Harvard University
- Primary Occupations: Writer, university teacher, philosopher
- Academic Affiliations: Tehran University, Sharif University of Technology, University of Edinburgh, George Washington University
- Languages: Persian, Arabic, English, French
- Award: Gittler Prize (2010)
Questions readers ask
What is the focus of Hossein Nasr's philosophical work?
He specializes in Islamic philosophy, traditionalist thought, and the critique of modern, desacralized science.
Where has Nasr taught during his career?
He has held academic appointments at institutions including Tehran University, the Sharif University of Technology, the University of Edinburgh, and George Washington University.
Achievements
- Gittler Prize — 2010
- Held posts at Sharif University of Technology and University of Edinburgh
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