Sadiq Jalal al-Azm is remembered for arguments the next generation could not ignore.
The record lists Sadiq Jalal al-Azm as Syrian philosopher (1934-2016).
Sadiq Jalal al-Azm was born at Damascus in 1934. His recorded nationality is United Arab Republic. He studied at Yale University and American University of Beirut.
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 Princeton University, American University of Beirut and Damascus University.
His principal work is Criticism of Religious Thought (book). A philosophical position survives not by being proved but by resisting every attempt to dispose of it.
The honours record reads: Erasmus Prize (2004), Dr. Leopold Lucas Prize (2004) and Goethe Medal (2015).
That the work was done from United Arab Republic matters: philosophical traditions, institutions and the language of publication have never been evenly distributed.
Sadiq Jalal al-Azm died in 2016, aged 82. The arguments remain in print, which is the form in which philosophy survives.
Achievements
- Erasmus Prize — 2004
- Dr. Leopold Lucas Prize — 2004
- Goethe Medal — 2015
- Notable work: Criticism of Religious Thought (book)
- Held posts at Princeton University, American University of Beirut and Damascus University
