Al-Fārābī and His SchoolAl-Farabi and His Schoolexamines one of the most exciting and dynamic periods in the development of medieval Islam: the period which ran from the late ninth century to the early eleventh century AD. This age is examined through the thought of five of its principal thinkers and named after the first and greatest of these as the "Age of Farabism." Ian Richard Netton demonstrates that the great Islamic philosopher al-Farabi (870-950), called "the Second Master" after Aristotle, produced a recognizable school of thought. This school of thought, which Netton refers to as the "School of al-Farabi," was influenced by the thought of Plato, Aristotle, and Plotinus. Yet, it was much more than a mere clone of Greek thought. The originality and independence of thought expressed by such adherents as Yahya b. Adi, Abu Sulayman al-Sijistani, al-Amiri and Abu Hayyan al-Tawhidi is described, appreciated, and critically assessed in this volume, with an emphasis given to the fundamentals of epistemology. Al-Farabi and His Schoolis unique in its examination of the intellectual continuity that was maintained in an age of flux, and its particular emphasis on the ethical dimensions of knowledge. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Abū Ḥayyan al-Tawhidi Abū Sulayman Abû Sulaymân As-Sijistânî Active Intellect Afterlife al-'Amiri al-'Ilm al-Farabi al-Imta al-Islām al-Kindi al-Mutanabbi Al-Rabe al-Sijistāni Al-Takriti al-Tawhidi Allāh Allah Transcendent Arabic Arabic text Aristotelian Aristotle aspects Badawi Baghdad Barmakids Bergé Book of Pleasure Bosworth Buyids chapter classification clearly court culture dimension Dunlop EI² emanation Endress epistemology Epistle ethics example Fakhry Farabi Fārābism French introd Greek Histoire History of Islamic Humanism ibid Ibn Abi Uşaybi'a Ibn Battuta Ibn Khallikan Ibn Sa'dan Ikhwan al-Şafa Intellect al-Aql Islamic Philosophy Jadaane Kitāb al-Amad Knowledge Triumphant Kraemer logic Maqāla medieval Islam Metaphysics Mu'tazili Muḥammad Muntakhab Muslim Philosophers Neoplatonic Netton paradigm Perfect Philosophie en Islam Plato Pleasure and Conviviality Plotinus political Rasa'il Renaissance of Islam Risāla fi l-Aql Rosenthal Rowson Samir Sayf al-Dawla scholars Sciences Shi'ism Sijistāni stress şüfi survey Tarikh Tawhidi theology thinkers thought trans translation Treatise Walzer wazir Yahya ibn Adi