Al-Fārābī
Al-Fārābī, a prominent Islamic philosopher of the medieval period, is best known for his contributions to ethics and political philosophy, particularly through his integration of Neoplatonic thought. He proposed a hierarchical emanation scheme in which a singular, transcendent principle called the One generates various levels of existence, culminating in the Active Intellect, which plays a crucial role in human cognition and moral development. In his notable work, "The Opinions of the Inhabitants of the Virtuous City," Al-Fārābī emphasizes the importance of the soul's actualization through knowledge and virtue, suggesting that this process ultimately leads to immortality and bliss in the afterlife. He envisioned an ideal society—referred to as the virtuous city—where wise leadership helps citizens cultivate moral virtues and directs their focus toward higher intellectual pursuits. Al-Fārābī's ideas significantly influenced later thinkers, including Avicenna and Albertus Magnus, and contributed to the philosophical foundations that shaped medieval scholasticism, including the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas. His legacy continues to be a point of interest for those studying the intersections of philosophy, ethics, and spirituality in the Islamic Golden Age.
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Al-Fārābī
- Born: 870
- Birthplace: Farab, north of Tashkent, Turkistan (now Kazakhstan)
- Died: 950
- Place of death: Syria
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Al-Fārābī’s ethical thought is intimately intertwined with his Neoplatonic emanation scheme, in which the One generates a hierarchy of concentric spheres. The Intellect of the lunar sphere (the Active Intellect) emanates pure intelligibles to the human realm. In The Opinions of the Inhabitants of the Virtuous City, al-Fārābī argued that the immortality of the soul was dependent on its actualization in apprehension of that Intellect. The virtuous city is well-led, so that its citizens are reminded of a life beyond this one. Its citizens achieve moral virtue, which allows reason to govern appetites and passions, and they turn their attention to the gifts of the Active Intellect. Such souls find bliss in the afterlife. Less-actualized souls simply cease to exist (if they were ignorant of the Active Intellect) or, if they were excessively attached to bodily pleasures, endure a limited series of transmigrations or torment caused by separation from the body after death. Al-Fārābī had an important place in the philosophy of Avicenna, Albertus Magnus, and, through them, Saint Thomas Aquinas.
