‘아랍의 철학자’알 킨디는 이슬람 세계 최초의 독창적인 형이상학자임과 아울러, 그리스 철학과 이슬람 신학의 통합을 꾀한 최초의 통합적 철학자였다. 그는 『제1철학』에서 그리스 철학을 동원하여 이슬람 신학의 제반 문제들을 해결하고자 노력하였다. 그 결과, 그는 이슬람 신학과 아리스토텔레주의 나아가 신-플라톤주의(Neo-Platonism)를 아우르는 거대한 형이상학적 체계를 구축하였다. 이러한 알 킨디의 철학은 크게 다음 3가지 특징을 지닌다.
첫째, 알 킨디의 철학은 그의 주저인 『제1철학』과 『참되며 첫 번째이자 완전한 작용인과 비유적으로만 작용인인 불완전한 작용인에 관하여』에 잘 드러나 있다. 여기에서, 알 킨디는 아리스토텔레스주의의 핵심원리인 세계의 영원성에 대한 비판을 통하여, 이슬람 철학의 근원으로서의 신을 창조의 제일원리, 단일성의 근원, 첫 번째 작용인 그리고 존재의 원리임을 논증한다. 그런데, 그의 논증에는 매우 엄격한 부정신학적 논증이 함축되어 있다. 왜냐하면, 절대적인 일자에는 일자 아닌 것들에 대해서 말해지는 속성들이 적용될 수 없기 때문이다.
둘째, 알 킨디의 사유를 지배하였던 철학은 아리스토텔레스주의와 신-플라톤주의였다. 특히, 그는 신-플라톤주의에 근거하여 이슬람 신학의 문제를 해결하고자 하였다. 신-플라톤주의에 대한 그의 지대한 관심과 강조는, 그가 이슬람 철학사에 남겨 놓은 커다란 업적 중의 하나다. 알 킨디에게 있어, 신은 존재의 제일원리이자, 창조의 원리이다. 모든 존재하는 것들을 존재하게 하는 유일성의 근원이라는 점에서 신은 존재의 원리이고, 비존재로부터 존재를 존재케 하는 제일 작용인이라는 점에서 신은 창조의 원리이다.
셋째, 알 킨디는 이슬람 신학과 그리스 철학의 관계성을 천착하였다. 특히, 그는 이슬람 경전인 『꾸란』의 본문을 해석하기 위한 방법론적 장치로써 그리스 철학을 적극 사용하였는데, 이것은 그가 이슬람 신학의 문제를 그리스 철학으로 해결하려 했다는 것을 방증한다. 그리하여, 아리스토텔레스의 『형이상학』은 이슬람 신학의 훌륭한 모델로 간주되었으며, 신-플라톤주의는 신의 창조 문제를 설명할 수 있는 하나의 훌륭한 개념적 장치로 간주되었다.
결론적으로, 알 킨디는 신학의 제반 문제들을 철학적 방법론으로 풀고자 하였던 선각자였다. 향후, 그의 철학적 방법론은 9세기 이후 이슬람 지성사를 지배하였다. 칼람(kalām)이라 불리는 철학적 신학과 무타질라 학파(Mu‘tazilites)의 철학 등은 모두 그의 영향 하에서 형성된 것들이다. 또한, 이슬람 철학을 꽃피웠던 10세기의 알 파라비, 11세기의 이븐 시나와 알 가잘리 그리고 12세기의 이븐 루시드 등의 체계적인 이슬람 철학은 모두 그의 영향 하에서 형성된 결과물들이다 할 수 있다.
Al-Kindī, Arabic philosopher, was the first philosopher of the Islamic world and the first integrated philosopher to unite Greek philosophy and Islamic theology. He tried to solve all the problems of Islamic theology by using Greek philosophy in On First Philosophy. As a result, he built a huge metaphysical system that encompasses Aristotelianism, Neo-Platonism and Islamic theology. Al-Kindī' philosophy has the following three characteristics. First of all, Al-Kindī' philosophy is evident in his main works, On First Philosophy, and On the True, First, Complete Agent and the Deficient Agent that is only an Agent metaphorically. Here, Al-Kindī argues that God as the source of Islamic philosophy is the first principle of creation, the source of unity, and the principle of existence through the critique of the eternity of the world, the core principle of Aristotelianism. His argument, however, implies a very rigid argument of negative theology because the attributes of the created objects are not applicable to the absolute God. Second, the philosophy that governed Al-Kindī' thought was Aristotelianism and Neo-Platonism. Especially, he tried to solve the problems of Islamic theology on the basis of Neo–Platonism. His great interest and emphasis on Neo-Platoism is one of the great achievements he has left in the history of Islamic philosophy. For Al-Kindī, God is the first principle of existence and the principle of creation. God is the principle of being in that it is the source of uniqueness that makes all beings exist. And God is the principle of creation in that it is the first agent to make existence from non-existence. Finally, Al-Kindī digged into the relationship between Islamic theology and Greek philosophy. In particular, he actively used Greek philosophy as a methodological instrument to interpret the texts of the Qur'an in the Islamic scriptures. This demonstrates that he tried to solve the problem of Islamic theology with a Greek philosophy. Thus Aristotle's metaphysics was regarded as a good model of Islamic theology. And Neo-Platonism was regarded as an excellent conceptual device to explain God's creation problem. In conclusion, Al-Kindī was a pioneer who tried to solve the problems of theology with a philosophical methodology. After that, his philosophical methodology has dominated Islamic Philosophy since the 9th century. The philosophical theology called kalām and the philosophy of the Mu'tazilites are all formed under his influence. Moreover, systematic Islamic philosophies such as Al-Farabi of the 10th century, Ibn Sina and Al Ghazali of the 11th century, and Ibn Rushid of the 12th century, which flourished Islamic philosophy, are all products of his influence.
Al-Kindī, Arabic philosopher, was the first philosopher of the Islamic world and the first integrated philosopher to unite Greek philosophy and Islamic theology. He tried to solve all the problems of Islamic theology by using Greek philosophy in On First Philosophy. As a result, he built a huge metaphysical system that encompasses Aristotelianism, Neo-Platonism and Islamic theology. Al-Kindī' philosophy has the following three characteristics. First of all, Al-Kindī' philosophy is evident in his main works, On First Philosophy, and On the True, First, Complete Agent and the Deficient Agent that is only an Agent metaphorically. Here, Al-Kindī argues that God as the source of Islamic philosophy is the first principle of creation, the source of unity, and the principle of existence through the critique of the eternity of the world, the core principle of Aristotelianism. His argument, however, implies a very rigid argument of negative theology because the attributes of the created objects are not applicable to the absolute God. Second, the philosophy that governed Al-Kindī' thought was Aristotelianism and Neo-Platonism. Especially, he tried to solve the problems of Islamic theology on the basis of Neo–Platonism. His great interest and emphasis on Neo-Platoism is one of the great achievements he has left in the history of Islamic philosophy. For Al-Kindī, God is the first principle of existence and the principle of creation. God is the principle of being in that it is the source of uniqueness that makes all beings exist. And God is the principle of creation in that it is the first agent to make existence from non-existence. Finally, Al-Kindī digged into the relationship between Islamic theology and Greek philosophy. In particular, he actively used Greek philosophy as a methodological instrument to interpret the texts of the Qur'an in the Islamic scriptures. This demonstrates that he tried to solve the problem of Islamic theology with a Greek philosophy. Thus Aristotle's metaphysics was regarded as a good model of Islamic theology. And Neo-Platonism was regarded as an excellent conceptual device to explain God's creation problem. In conclusion, Al-Kindī was a pioneer who tried to solve the problems of theology with a philosophical methodology. After that, his philosophical methodology has dominated Islamic Philosophy since the 9th century. The philosophical theology called kalām and the philosophy of the Mu'tazilites are all formed under his influence. Moreover, systematic Islamic philosophies such as Al-Farabi of the 10th century, Ibn Sina and Al Ghazali of the 11th century, and Ibn Rushid of the 12th century, which flourished Islamic philosophy, are all products of his influence.
