Nasr Abu Zayd belongs to the philosophical record as a figure whose arguments outlasted the disputes that prompted them.
The record lists Nasr Abu Zayd as Egyptian Quranic thinker, author, and academic (1943-2010).
Nasr Abu Zayd was born at Tanta in 1943. His recorded nationality is Netherlands. He studied at Cairo University and Leiden University.
Twentieth-century philosophy was marked by war, exile and ideology; many of its central figures wrote in flight or under censorship.
His academic posts were held at Cairo University, University of Humanistic Studies and Utrecht University.
The recorded fields of work are hermeneutics and islam.
Philosophy advances by objection: an argument matters if serious people spend years attacking it.
Recognition followed: Ibn Rushd Prize for Freedom of Thought (2005).
That the work was done from Netherlands matters: philosophical traditions, institutions and the language of publication have never been evenly distributed.
Nasr Abu Zayd died in 2010, aged 67. The arguments remain in print, which is the form in which philosophy survives.
Achievements
- Ibn Rushd Prize for Freedom of Thought — 2005
- Held posts at Cairo University, University of Humanistic Studies and Utrecht University
- Fields: hermeneutics and Islam
