Professor of Islamic Studies, George Washington University

Seyyed Hossein Nasr is the only Muslim to be included in the Library of Living Philosophers and has written over 50 books and over 500 articles. A University Professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University, he remains one of the most influential Muslim scholars in the world for his work on Islamic tradition and philosophy. Born in Iran, he obtained a scholarship to MIT to pursue undergraduate studies in physics, and went to obtain a Doctor of Philosophy in the history of science and philosophy from Harvard University. Upon his return to Iran in 1958, he swiftly rose through academic ranks to become Vice-Chancellor of Tehran University, then President of Aryamehr University. His academic work extends from classical Islamic philosophy, Islamic science, Sufism, and critique of modernity to interfaith relations, Islam–West relations, and the environmental crisis. In fact, his book “The Encounter of Man and Nature”, published in 1968, predicts the disastrous consequences of the environmental crisis, critiques the rise of a secular, modern conception of nature as inert matter to be conquered by modern technology, and attempts to revive a sacred notion of nature. Nasr was the first Muslim scholar ever to be invited to give the prestigious Gifford Lectures, which were later published as Knowledge and the Sacred. He currently lives in the USA.