A distinguished philosopher, a sophisticated scientist and a talented musician: the many achievements of the tenth-century Islamic thinker al-Farabi are carefully documented in this substantial new introduction to his life and works.
Credited with introducing Neoplatonism to the Muslim world, al-Farabi is also acknowledged as the first great system builder of Islamic philosophy. His pivotal influence, not only on Islamic thought but also on western philosophy generally, is reflected in this stimulating study, which includes a survey of al-Farabi’s influence on such major figures as al-Ghazali, Ibn Sina and Moses Maimonides. Other key ideas covered include:
* al-Farabi’s transmission of Ancient Greek philosophy to the Islamic world
* al-Farabi as the first Islamic logician
* the pre-Renaissance Renaissance man: cosmology, metaphysics and music
Also featuring a detailed bibliography of primary and secondary sources, this text will be welcomed by all those seeking to learn more about al-Farabi and his diverse accomplishments.
MAJID FAKHRY is Emeritus Professor at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, and Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University, Washington, DC. He has also taught philosophy in Lebanon and the UK, and his publications include: 'Averroes: His Life, Works and Influence', 'Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Mysticism: A Short Introduction', and 'The Qur'an: A Modern English Version', plus a large number of scholarly works in Arabic.
Author(s): Majid Fakhry
Series: Great Islamic Thinkers
Publisher: Oneworld
Year: 2002
Language: English
Commentary: readable on e-ink
Pages: 168
City: Oxford
Tags: alfarabifoundero0000fakh;neoplatonism;greek influence in islam
Cover
Half title
Imprint
Contents
Preface
Introduction
1 Life and Works
2 Al-Farabi and the Greek Legacy
The genesis of philosophy
Philosophy and religion
Presocratics, stoics and peripatetics
Plato and his philosophy
The philosophy of Aristotle
The harmony of Plato and Aristotle
3 The Classification of the Sciences
The interrelation of the sciences
Logic and mathematics
Physics and metaphysics
Ethics and politics
The Islamic sciences
4 Al-Farabi as Logician
The logical corpus
The analysis of logical terms
The demonstrative art
Rhetoric and poetics
5 Theory of Knowledge
The nature of scientific knowledge
The various senses of the term, ‘intellect’ ( ‘aql)
The Active Intellect
6 Emanation versus Creation
The Neoplationic legacy
The nature of the First Being or the One
The intellect, as the first emanation
The heavenly bodies
The material world
The human soul and its faculties
Prophecy and the imaginative faculty
7 Ethical Theory
The attainment of happiness
The moral virtues and their acquisition
Evil and not-being
Justice and friendship
8 Political Theory
The principles of political association
The master organ and the master ruler (ra’ıs)
The qualifications of the chief ruler (ra’ıs)
The virtuous city
The non-virtuous cities
The outgrowths (nawabit) as a hybrid class
Lawlessness and discord
Political justice and religious piety
The fate of the soul after death
9 Al-Farabi and Music
10 Al-Farabi in History
The triumph of Neoplatonism
Al-Farabi’s philosophical legacy
Al-Ghazali’s onslaught on al-Farabi and Ibn Sına
Ibn Bajjah and the Andalusian interlude
Ibn Rushd (Averroes)
Neoplatonism and Sufism
Al-Farabi and the West
Conclusion
Appendix
Bibliography
Index
