Alfarabi and the Foundation of Islamic Political Philosophy

Muhsin S. Mahdi

Muhsin S. Mahdi

Alfarabi and the Foundation of Islamic Political Philosophy

University of Chicago Press | 2001

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7208/9780226774664

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About this book

In this work, Muhsin Mahdi—widely regarded as the preeminent scholar of Islamic political thought—distills more than four decades of research to offer an authoritative analysis of the work of Alfarabi, the founder of Islamic political philosophy. Mahdi, who also brought to light writings of Alfarabi that had long been presumed lost or were not even known, presents this great thinker as his contemporaries would have seen him: as a philosopher who sought to lay the foundations for a new understanding of revealed religion and its relation to the tradition of political philosophy.

Beginning with a survey of Islamic philosophy and a discussion of its historical background, Mahdi considers the interrelated spheres of philosophy, political thought, theology, and jurisprudence of the time. He then turns to Alfarabi's concept of "the virtuous city," and concludes with an in-depth analysis of the trilogy, Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle.

This philosophical engagement with the writings of and about Alfarabi will be essential reading for anyone interested in medieval political philosophy.

Author information

Muhsin S. Mahdi is the James R. Jewett Professor Emeritus of Arabic in the Department of Near Eastern languages and Civilization, Harvard University. He has published the critical Arabic editions of many of Alfarabi's works, as well as the definitive edition of the Thousand and One Nights and a pathbreaking study of Ibn Khaldun's philosophy of history.

Frontmatter Free access PDF PDF	i
CONTENTS Free access PDF PDF	vii
Foreword Charles E. Butterworth Free access PDF PDF	xi
Introduction Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	1
PART ONE Orientation: Philosophy, Jurisprudence, and Theology
1. The Political Orientation of Islamic Philosophy Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	15
2. Philosophy and Political Thought Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	29
3. The Foundation of Islamic Philosophy Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	47
PART TWO The Virtuous City
4. Science, Philosophy, and Religion Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	65
5. Political Philosophy and Religion Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	97
6. The Virtuous City Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	125
7. Prophecy and Revelation Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	147
PART THREE On the Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle
8. The Attainment of Happiness Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	173
9. On Aristotle’s Starting Point Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	196
10. On Philosophy and Religion Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	208
11. Religion and the Cyclical View of History Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	229
References Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	241
Acknowlegements Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	247
Index Access restricted Content is available PDF PDF	249

Alfarabi and the Foundation of Islamic Political Philosophy

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