Janos, Damien (Author)
McGill University (Canada)
Physical Details: 423 pp.
Language: English
This dissertation offers a new and comprehensive analysis of Abu Nas[dotbelow]r al-Farabi's (d. 950) cosmology by focusing on various important issues that have been largely neglected by the modern scholarship. It provides an examination of the physical, metaphysical, and astronomical aspects of al-Farabi's cosmology by adopting a multidisciplinary approach that takes into account the history of philosophy and the history of astronomy. Accordingly, my dissertation explores how al-Farabi attempted to reconcile features of Ptolemaic astronomy with Aristotelian and Neoplatonic theories, an endeavor which resulted in the formulation of innovative cosmological ideas. Chapters I and II provide background information on al-Farabi's activity as a commentator and his relation to the Greek commentatorial tradition and assess the relevant primary sources. In addition, they examine al-Farabi's approach to cosmology and his scientific method in terms of both the Ptolemaic astronomical tradition and the Aristotelian corpus. Chapter III addresses problems related to the structure of al-Farabi's cosmology, especially the origin of his ennadic cosmological model and his spherology. Particular attention is devoted to the question of how Aristotle's unmoved movers and Ptolemy's astronomical theories are reconciled. Chapters IV, V, and VI analyze the place of celestial matter, intellect, and motion respectively in al-Farabi's cosmology and attempt to redefine the second teacher's relation to the various trends of Greek philosophy. The study stresses al-Farabi's connection with the Neoplatonic and Peripatetic currents, particularly with thinkers such as Alexander of Aphrodisias, Themistius, and Proclus. As a corollary, it challenges the Mandian political interpretation of al-Farabi's philosophy and of the latter's alleged debt to Middle Platonism. Throughout the dissertation, emphasis is placed not only on the Greek philosophical antecedents, but also on the factors proper to the Arabic-Islamic context that can best explain the development of al-Farabi's cosmological ideas. The debate over the creation of the world, the influence of al-Kindi and Abu Bakr al-Razi, the development of the astronomical hay'a tradition in Islam, the impact of the translation movement from Greek to Arabic, and al-Farabi's influence on Ibn Sina, are some of the internal Arabic-Islamic elements that are highlighted in the analysis. Ultimately, this study aims to provide a clearer understanding of al-Farabi's role in the formation of medieval Arabic cosmology. References References (418)
...MoreDescription Cited in Diss. Abstr. Int. A 70/12 (2010). Pub. no. AAT NR53626.
Similar Citations
Article
Rashed, Marwan;
(2009)
On the Authorship of the Treatise On the Harmonization of the Opinions of the Two Sages Attributed to Al-Fārābī
(/isis/citation/CBB000931200/)
Chapter
Terence J. Kleven;
(2012)
Al-Fārābī's Five Aphorisms on Logic
(/isis/citation/CBB764051773/)
Article
Neria, Chaim Meir;
(2013)
Al-Farabi's Lost Commentary on the Ethics: New Textual Evidence
(/isis/citation/CBB001252564/)
Book
Adamson, Peter;
(2008)
In the Age of al-Fārābī: Arabic Philosophy in the Fourth/Tenth Century
(/isis/citation/CBB001022020/)
Article
D'arcy, Guillaume de Vaulx;
(2010)
La naqla, étude du concept de transfert dans l'œuvre d'al-Fārābī
(/isis/citation/CBB000933055/)
Thesis
Jaffray, Angela;
(2000)
At the threshold of philosophy: A study of al-Farabi's introductory works on logic (Abu Nasr Muhammad al-Farabi)
(/isis/citation/CBB001562682/)
Book
Adamson, Peter;
(2008)
In the Age of al-Fārābī: Arabic Philosophy in the Fourth/Tenth Century
(/isis/citation/CBB001450692/)
Article
Aouad, Maroun;
Schoeler, Gregor;
(2002)
Le syllogisme poétique selon al-Fārābī: un syllogisme incorrect de la deuxième figure
(/isis/citation/CBB000202557/)
Article
Janos, Damien;
(2010)
Al-Fārābī on the Method of Astronomy
(/isis/citation/CBB000933703/)
Chapter
Richter-Bernburg, Lutz;
(2008)
Abū Bakr al-Rāzī and al-Fārābi on Medicine and Authority
(/isis/citation/CBB001022538/)
Book
Damien Janos;
(2012)
Method, Structure, and Development in al-Fārābī’s Cosmology
(/isis/citation/CBB028508118/)
Chapter
Lizzini, Olga;
(2008)
Le cosmologie di Alfarabi e di Avicenna
(/isis/citation/CBB001020554/)
Article
Boudet, Jean-Patrice;
(2013)
Ptolémée dans l'Occident médiéval: roi, savant et philosophe
(/isis/citation/CBB001420832/)
Article
Streetman, W. Craig;
(2008)
“If It Were God Who Sent Them . . .”: Aristotle and Al-Fārābī on Prophetic Vision
(/isis/citation/CBB000931195/)
Article
Freudenthal, Gad;
(2003)
La Quiddité de l'âme, traité populaire néoplatonisant faussement attribué à al-Fārābī: Traduction annotée et commentée
(/isis/citation/CBB000340506/)
Article
Thom, Paul;
(2008)
Al-Fārābī on Indefinite and Privative Names
(/isis/citation/CBB000931194/)
Article
Brague, Rémi;
(2003)
Une Note sur les sources philosophiques du Ps.-Fārābī, La Quiddité de l'âme
(/isis/citation/CBB000340507/)
Chapter
Black, Deborah L.;
(2008)
Al-Fārābī on Meno's Paradox
(/isis/citation/CBB001022532/)
Chapter
Giannakis, Elias;
(2008)
Anaxagoras in the Baghdad Physics
(/isis/citation/CBB001022533/)
Chapter
Smet, Daniel De;
(2008)
Al-Fārābī's Influence on Ḥamīd al-Dīn al-Kirmānī's Theory of Intellect and Soul
(/isis/citation/CBB001022539/)
Be the first to comment!