Al-Kindi
Al-Kindī, often referred to as "the philosopher of the Arabs," is a notable figure in the history of philosophy, particularly within the Islamic Golden Age. He is recognized for his belief in the immaterial nature of the soul, which he suggested is analogous to divine substance. Al-Kindī argued that human appetites and passions originate from the material body, potentially leading individuals into an overwhelming pursuit of physical pleasures. To mitigate this, he emphasized the importance of purifying the soul through the pursuit of truth and rigorous philosophical study. He posited that a well-purified soul would gain the ability to rationally govern its lower faculties. Furthermore, he believed that if the soul had not achieved sufficient purification in the earthly realm, it would need further refinement in celestial spheres before it could attain the intellectual comprehension of God, which he regarded as the ultimate goal for humanity. Al-Kindī’s philosophical contributions were significantly influenced by Neoplatonic and Pythagorean thought, and he played a crucial role in mediating the ideas of Plato and Aristotle to later Islamic thinkers and medieval European scholars.
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Al-Kindi
- Born: c. 800
- Birthplace: Al-Kūfa, south of Karbalā', Iraq
- Died: 866
- Place of death: Baghdad, Iraq
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Al-Kindī, “the philosopher of the Arabs,” argued that the soul is immaterial and is analogous to divine substance. The appetites and passions have their source in the material body and can lead a person into excessive love of physical pleasures. To avoid that development, the soul must be purified through the quest for truth and the rigorous study of philosophy. As the soul is thus further actualized, it can come to rule rationally over the lower faculties. If the virtuous soul has not been sufficiently purified here in the lower world, it will require further purification in the sphere of the moon and in those spheres beyond the moon before it is sufficiently cleansed to be able to partake in the intellectual apprehension of God (the bliss toward which all people should aim). Al-Kindī drew upon the work of Neoplatonic and Pythagorean predecessors and, as is common for later Islamicate thinkers such as al-Fārābī, intermingled the metaphysics and moral psychology of both Plato and Aristotle. His work was important in medieval European attempts to understand Aristotle’s De Anima.