Nader El-Bizri ( ar, نادر البزري, ''nādir al-bizrĩ'') is the Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at the
University of Sharjah. He served before as a tenured longstanding full Professor of philosophy and civilization studies at the
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...
, where he also acted as an Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and as the Director of the General Education program.
[AUB official webpage of Nader El-Bizri](_blank)
/ref> El-Bizri specializes in phenomenology
Phenomenology may refer to:
Art
* Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties
Philosophy
* Phenomenology (philosophy), a branch of philosophy which studies subjective experiences and a ...
, Islamic science
Science in the medieval Islamic world was the science developed and practised during the Islamic Golden Age under the Umayyads of Córdoba, the Abbadids of Seville, the Samanids, the Ziyarids, the Buyids in Persia, the Abbasid Caliphate an ...
and philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...
, and architectural theory
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...
. He is the author or editor of several books, including ''The Phenomenological Quest between Avicenna and Heidegger'' (2000).
Education
El-Bizri received a degree in architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design
The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban ...
and a PhD in philosophy from the New School for Social Research
The New School for Social Research (NSSR) is a graduate-level educational institution that is one of the divisions of The New School in New York City, United States. The university was founded in 1919 as a home for progressive era thinkers. NSS ...
.
Career
Academic positions
El-Bizri is a professor of philosophy and civilization studies at the American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...
, where he is also an associate dean of the faculty of arts and sciences, and the director of the general education program. He was formerly a director of the civilization studies program at the AUB and the coordinator of Islamic studies
Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...
, and also oversees the Anis Makdisi Program in Literature. He was previously a visiting professor of visual studies at the University of Lincoln
, mottoeng = Freedom through wisdom
, established = 1861 – Hull School of Art1905 – Endsleigh College1976 – Hull College1992 – University of Humberside1996 – University of Lincolnshire and Humberside2001 � ...
and a principal lecturer (reader) in architecture. He was an affiliated senior research fellow in philosophy at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, and is general editor (and managing editor ''ex officio'') of an Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...
book series published in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, entitled: ''Epistles of the Brethren of Purity
The Brethren of Purity ( ar, إخوان الصفا, Ikhwān Al-Ṣafā; also The Brethren of Sincerity) were a secret society of Muslim philosophers in Basra, Iraq, in the 9th or 10th century CE.
The structure of the organization and the id ...
Series'' رسائل إخوان الصفاء . He was a co-manager of a joint project between the Institute of Ismaili Studies and the Institut Français du Proche Orient, formerly based in Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
, motto =
, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
and now in Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
.
El-Bizri was an affiliated research scholar in the department of history and philosophy of science at the University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
from 1999 to 2010, primarily lecturing on medieval Islamic sciences and philosophy. He has also been a visiting lecturer at the faculty of architecture at the University of Cambridge on Islamic architecture. He holds a ''Chercheur associé'' position in history of science and philosophy at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
The French National Centre for Scientific Research (french: link=no, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe.
In 2016, it employed 31,63 ...
in Paris (Denis-Diderot, Paris VII, UMR 7219, SPHERE) since 2006, and he was previously a lecturer in architecture at the University of Nottingham
, mottoeng = A city is built on wisdom
, established = 1798 – teacher training college1881 – University College Nottingham1948 – university status
, type = Public
, chancellor ...
, and taught at Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...
. He is a member of the Ordered Universe research team on mediaeval science that is supported by the British Arts and Humanities Research Council
The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), formerly Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB), is a British research council, established in 1998, supporting research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities.
History
The Arts ...
(AHRC), which is based at the University of Durham and Oxford University. El-Bizri is an elected member of the Steering Committee of the Société Internationale d'Histoire des Sciences et des Philosophies Arabes et Islamiques (''Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique'', Paris). 2022 Dean of College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences University of Sharjah
Writing, television
El-Bizri is co-editor of a book series in phenomenology (Springer, formerly Kluwer Academic Publishers; Dordrecht, Netherlands), and as section editor (Islam) of the ''Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions'' (SPRINGER, Dordrecht & Berlin). He is on the editorial boards of series and journals, such as the Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer.
Cambridge University Pr ...
journal ''Arabic Sciences and Philosophy'', ''Toposophia'' (series on philosophy and architecture; Lexington Books/Rowman & Littlefield), Institute of Ismaili Studies ''Texts and Translations Series'' (London: I. B. Tauris), the ''Encyclopaedia Islamica'' (Leiden: E. J. Brill), the ''Journal of World Philosophies'' (Indiana University Press), and the Fundamentals of Scientific Research at The Arab Organization for Translation in Beirut (linked to the Centre for Arab Unity Studies). He is the European representative of the Equipe d’Etude et de Recherche sur le Patrimoine Scientifique Arabe, which is part of the Lebanese Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). He has written for ''Al-Hayat
Al-Hayat ( ar, الحياة meaning "Life") was a London-based, pan-Arab newspaper owned by Saudi Prince Khalid bin Sultan, that had a circulation estimated over 200,000. It was the newspaper of record for the Arab diaspora and the preferred v ...
''.
El-Bizri has made several contributions to BBC radio and television cultural programs, including a discussion about the Persian philosopher Avicenna
Ibn Sina ( fa, ابن سینا; 980 – June 1037 CE), commonly known in the West as Avicenna (), was a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, philosophers, and writers of the Islamic ...
with Melvin Bragg
Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg, (born 6 October 1939), is an English broadcaster, author and parliamentarian. He is best known for his work with ITV as editor and presenter of '' The South Bank Show'' (1978–2010), and for the BBC Radio 4 documen ...
and other guests on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC's ...
's ''In Our Time'', and an interview with Jim Al-Khalili
Jameel Sadik "Jim" Al-Khalili ( ar, جميل صادق الخليلي; born 20 September 1962) is an Iraqi-British theoretical physicist, author and broadcaster. He is professor of theoretical physics and chair in the public engagement in scie ...
about Ibn al-Haytham
Ḥasan Ibn al-Haytham, Latinized as Alhazen (; full name ; ), was a medieval mathematician, astronomer, and physicist of the Islamic Golden Age from present-day Iraq.For the description of his main fields, see e.g. ("He is one of the pr ...
for BBC Four
BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002 's ''Science and Islam'' series. He also recently took part in a panel on philosophy that was aired on France Culture in Paris in the series '' Les Chemins de la philosophie'' that is moderated by Adèle Van Reeth.
Awards
El-Bizri has received several awards, including the Kuwait Prize 2014 from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences. He has been also ranked as one of the "Thought Leaders" in the Arab world via the Berggruen Institute and its various partners.Berggruen Institute, LA, California
/ref>
Books
As author and co-author
* (2000). ''The Phenomenological Quest between Avicenna and Heidegger'' (Binghamton, N.Y.: Global Publications, SUNY); reprinted with an updated preface in 2014.
* (2004). ''L'expérience'' (Paris: Editions la Découverte), co-authored with Jean-Pierre Cléro, Martin Jay, G-K Karanth, and Achille Mbembe, with a foreword by Nadia Tazi.
As editor and co-editor
* (2008). ''Epistles of the Brethren of Purity. The Ikhwan al-Safa' and their Rasa'il: An Introduction'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press). Contributor of the "Prologue", 1–32, and chapter 7: "Epistolary Prolegomena: On Arithmetic and Geometry", 180–213.
* (2012). ''Epistles of the Brethren of Purity. On Arithmetic and Geometry. Arabic Edition and English Translation of EPISTLES 1 & 2'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
* (2012)
''Founding Figures and Commentators in Arabic Mathematics''
by Roshdi Rashed (London: Routledge).
* (2013). ‘Islam Division’ of the ''Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions'', eds. Anne Runehov, Lluis Oviedo ''et al.'' (Dordrecht-Berlin: Springer).
* (2014). ''Recto Verso: Redefining the Sketchbook'', co-edited with Angela Bartram and Douglas Gittens (Farnham: Ashgate).
* (2015). ''Asad Rustum: Mu'assis 'ilm al-tarikh fi al-'alam al-'arabi'', co-edited with Lamia Shehadeh, Souad Sleem, Maher Jarrar (Beirut: Dar al-Farabi).
* (2017). ''Practicing Philosophy in Lebanon (Pratiquer la philosophie au Liban umârasat al-falsafa fî lubnân'', a trilingual volume ed. Nader El-Bizri (Beirut-Bonn: German Orient-Institut Beirut, in association with Dar al-Farabi).
* (2018). ''Epistles of the Brethren of Purity. On Composition and the Arts. Arabic Edition and English Translation of EPISTLES 6-8''; co-edited with Godefroid de Callataÿ (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
* (2018) ''The Occult Sciences in Pre-modern Islamic Cultures'', eds. Nader El-Bizri and Eva Orthmann. Würzburg: Ergon Verlag (Orient-Institut series ''BTS'' 138).
* (2022) ''On Being and Time: The Section on Heidegger in Charles Malik's 1937 Harvard Thesis'', ed. Nader El-Bizri. Würzburg: Ergon Verlag (Orient-Institut series ''BTS'' 143).
See also
*Alhazen
Ḥasan Ibn al-Haytham, Latinized as Alhazen (; full name ; ), was a medieval mathematician, astronomer, and physicist of the Islamic Golden Age from present-day Iraq.For the description of his main fields, see e.g. ("He is one of the prin ...
*Architectural theory
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...
*Avicenna
Ibn Sina ( fa, ابن سینا; 980 – June 1037 CE), commonly known in the West as Avicenna (), was a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, philosophers, and writers of the Islamic ...
*Book of Optics
The ''Book of Optics'' ( ar, كتاب المناظر, Kitāb al-Manāẓir; la, De Aspectibus or ''Perspectiva''; it, Deli Aspecti) is a seven-volume treatise on optics and other fields of study composed by the medieval Arab scholar Ibn al- ...
*Brethren of Purity
The Brethren of Purity ( ar, إخوان الصفا, Ikhwān Al-Ṣafā; also The Brethren of Sincerity) were a secret society of Muslim philosophers in Basra, Iraq, in the 9th or 10th century CE.
The structure of the organization and the id ...
*Contemporary Islamic philosophy
Contemporary Islamic philosophy revives some of the trends of medieval Islamic philosophy, notably the tension between Mutazilite and Asharite views of ethics in science and law, and the duty of Muslims and role of Islam in the sociology of kn ...
*Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida (; ; born Jackie Élie Derrida; See also . 15 July 1930 – 9 October 2004) was an Algerian-born French philosopher. He developed the philosophy of deconstruction, which he utilized in numerous texts, and which was developed th ...
*Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger (; ; 26 September 188926 May 1976) was a German philosopher who is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. He is among the most important and influential philosophers of the 20th centu ...
*Khôra
''Khôra'' (also ''chora''; grc, χώρα) was the territory of the Ancient Greek '' polis'' outside the city proper. The term has been used in philosophy by Plato to designate a receptacle (as a "third kind" 'triton genos'' ''Timaeus'' 48e4), a ...
* Maurice Merleau-Ponty
*Phenomenology (architecture)
Phenomenology in architecture can be understood as a discursive and realist attempt to understand and embody the philosophical insights of phenomenology.
According to Dan Zahavi:Phenomenology shares the conviction that the critical stance proper ...
References
Webpage of Nader El-Bizri, University of Sharjah
Webpage of Nader El-Bizri, American University of Beirut
Webpage of Nader El-Bizri, Academia.edu
* Webpage of Nader El-Bizri, Arabic Wikipedia
Webage of Nader El-Bizri, ‘Author’, Jesus & Mary School
Life & Works Interview with Nader El-Bizri, Al Ghad TV
Webpage of Nader El-Bizri, Linkedin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bizri, Nader
Year of birth missing (living people)
Academics of the University of Nottingham
Phenomenologists
Metaphysicians
Historians of science
Epistemologists
Continental philosophers
Heidegger scholars
Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni
21st-century philosophers
The New School alumni
American University of Beirut alumni
Living people