HOPT Lecture 3 Al-farabi & Ibn Rushd Flashcards
Abu Hamid ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali 1058-1111
Proof of Islam (hujjat al-islam)
- persian theologian, jurist and suffi (mystic)
- most important thinker of islams golden age
- Main work: The Confusion / Incoherence of the philosophers (Tahafut al falasifa)
- Ibn Rushd (response) The incoherence of the incoherence (tahafut al tahafut)
- —> critic of the philosophers (Al farabi, İbni Sinna)
According to Al-Ghazali: Three sins of the philosophers
1- at last judgment only imaterial souls are rewarded and punished; no ressurction of the body
2- God only knows universals not individuals
subject, reasın, logic. application of plato into medieval islam
3- The world is eternal (no creation)
Al Gazali: 1-3 odds with Islam
1-3 may seem theological but also political because:
- (belief in) gods reward and punishment secure morality / law (same view that john locke has)
an argument made by ghaazali that is repeated in history:
gods punishment play a role ( a necessary one apperantly) in securing moral political life.
Spinoza and gods punishment
if you dont beleive in gods punishment you are a thereat to the political order (supports al ghazali)
Al Ghazali
thinks his teachings are dangerous to the polity
Al Ghazali and philosophers
understadns the philospohers right with no error”
“Munkidh min al-Dalal (delivarance from error)”
Important point: in lots of contexts, theology/ metaphysics are central to political life (maybe not related to this flashcard concept not sure)
Political Theology
the ways in whifh theological concepts or ways of thinking relate (and shape) politics
Can be found wherever state/society/ideology presupposes claims about the nature of reality (ontology) and where religion/theology is influential
what is a people? what is power?
often political theology is used to refer to a thesis: (Carl Schmitt) concepts of politics are secularized versions of theological concepts
Islam (surrender to god) (not sure if necessary)
pillars of islam
1-faith
2-5 times prayer
2-giving charity
3-fasting in ramdan
4-pilgirmage to mecca
6 requiremetns of faith in islam
Six pillars of faith
1-belief in god
2-existince of angels belief
3-belief in holy books
4-belief in prophets
5-belief in judgement day and resseruction
6-beleiving in gods predestination (kaderin allahın takdiri olduğuna inanmak)
Brief historical and instituional context
of islam
570-632
- Quran
- Hadith (reports on his life) later collected and recorded
- Quran and Hadit = revelation —> Sharia (the divine law)
The law in practice= Sharia & Fiqh (Jurisprudence and analogical reasoning)
- consensus of 4 schools of jurisprudence (developed from middle 9th century)
Sunni involves in a more legal way compared to other parts
Mohammed=last prophet
- “seal of the prophets”
- At his death the Arabian peninsula was united
21th century they only consider the quran as a guide to sharia. there is a general confusion.
Rushidan caliphate (4 halife dönemi) 632-661
1- abu bakr (muhammeds father in law
2- umar (muhammeds father in law)
3-Uthman ibn Affan
- Compiled the quran
4- Ali (cousin of Muhammad and married to Fatimah)
(5. Hasan ben Ali)
Shias believe Ali should have been Muhammeds successor (based on muhammeds will)
Shura/Council elected these
- Mutual consultation
- Unanimous
Democratic/elective monarchy
- Dutch Stadhouder/Stadholder (17th-18th century)
Ummah=political community based on religious kinship
- As distinct from tribe, clan, nation or imperial citizenship. based on religious commonality
- a caliph combines religious and political authority, that is no division between church and state
- State vs chruch division: should be kept seperate
Ummayad Caliphate 661-750 (emevi halifeliği)
Ummayad Caliphate 661-750 (emevi halifeliği)
Abbasid Caliphate (abbasiler)
- heirs of muhammeds uncle
- founders of baghdad
- start of golden age
- low taxes,trade
- medicine,science,philosophy,economics
- collection and translation of greek manuscripts
- from 946 a caliphate name
- north africa de facto indepdent
- still very wealthy
- ends when mongols destroys Baghdad in 1258
Al farabi 870 (257) - 950
“Second Master”
From farab (türkmenistan)
- almost nothing known of his life (no sort of biography)
- baghdad, damascus and aleppo
- Systematic philosopher (logic, musicologist, medicine etc.)
- Introduces political philosophy into islam
- Sysnthesis of Plato and Aristotle
- A lot of Napoleonic influences
- Critic of Islamic theology
key text- al farabi Political regime
Al Farabi= using political doctrines —> religious pluralist
question is can religions co-exist in the same polity?
2- religion is exoteric doctrine for the masses
is 1-2 islamic? yes!
Al farabi on religion
- basically, anything that the legislator enforces on the polity for a specific reason is in fact religion. The community may be a tribe, city, empire….
- if you legislate for policy with the aim that is condusive to collective flourishing and thats the case when legislation is virtious, than your legislation is vritous
- anythign that wil make the political community work well, is part of religion
First ruler= philosopher King or prophet muhammed
pragmatic / political / functional interpretation of religion (opinions and actions)- anything that fits the purpose of the founder/ legislator
- anything that fits the purpose of the founder / legislator
- What we would call “religion” shades into “civic religion”
- True religion aims at flourishing (happiness)
Religion & Philosophy in Al Farabi
Philosopy= Intellectual cognition —> truth
Religion = imaginings / images of the truth
philosophy is concetually prior to religion
Relgion = all practices that present the truth indirectly
- mostly rituals, but also what we call civic religion
- For Al farabi any social practice can be a part of relgion
religion is exoteric, suitable for the masses
Pluralism within Quran
- Many true prophets
- They all honor the same god in different ways
- this pluralism tolerance for all religions/manners of living
Al farabi asserts this kind of pluralism: diff ways to get to the truth
Al farabi / best polity
Best /virtous state aimed at flourishing / happiness for all citizens
- the elites exist to make others happy
Virtous polity / best polity
- the virtous state mirors cosmological truths
- the true leader (imam) posses theoretical and practical truth
- Within the best/virtous state: religion brings ordinary people to florurishing and vritue
- Everything that prevetns truth must be desroyed
- Foundation for enlightenment ideas —> spinoza
True leader & revelation
- True leader (first leader) is independet and not led by others
- combines theoretcical wisdom and practical insights
- understand what others need and can lead them
- Recieves revelation
- intellectual transfer (emanation) of God to the leader
- No miracles or choice from God
- Contents of revelation —> means to be leader
Democratic (or Popular state)
In al farabi democracy?
democracy= elections of leader/king by demos
- Recall the first caliphate
- In plato self rule of the many / demos / people
Distinct from Plato: Al farabi sees great potential in democratic polity
Much pleasure/ flourising and liberty and trade
cosmopoltiona society where several religions can function side by side
including arts and philosphy
Not receptive for true leaders/ philosopher rulers
My guess : true religion may be developed there and so indirectly cause best state (second/thir caliphate)
(dk where this supposed to go btw)
Main conclusion(s)
Building on Al-Kindi, Al-Farabi starts a rational reflection on leadership
and political structure within Islamic culture shaped by Greek
philosophy
– His metaphysics & cosmology is rejected, but his political theory
forms the basis of the Islamic (‘Sunni’) ‘mainstream’ as defined by
Al-Ghazali.
* Al-Farabi combines sociological & functional analysis of different types
of societies, religions, and ‘prophetic’ leaders.
– This is developed by last main falsafa , Ibn Rushd (1126 –1198) &
Ibn Khaldun ((1332 – 1406), who officially rejects the philosophers)
* Al-Farabi’s ideal state is religious and hierarchical, but (everything is) in
the service of the happiness/flourishing of all citizens.
* Through Dante, Maimonides, and Spinoza he is indirect source of the
Enlightenment theories
* But…most European thinkers were familiar with Islamic philosophy
through Ibn Rushd… 22
Ibn Rushd Platonic Feminism
(Remember platonic feminism first)
Platonic feminism
Recall Platonic Feminism
* Assumes there are innate differences
* These are largely heritable (some
chance)
* These differences reflect natural
hierarchy.
* The hierarchy is present in both sexes,
and symmetrical in them
* Best women are as excellent as best
men
* Platonic feminism: (i) denies natural
(and moral!) equality of human
beings. But, claims that (ii) any
privileges and obligations you give to
leading men must also be offered to
leading women. 24
Ibn Rushd’s Analysis on feminsim
Women are domesticated & gendered incompetent due to
infantilizing social causes
– In Plato already, soul can have a different gender than body
* Women with male souls, men with female souls (etc.)
- The sex/gender distinction is maybe not so new
- Suggests that societies deliberately prevent female political
participation - Lack of education and opportunity for women –> huge economic
opportunity costs for women and the state
– Opportunity costs = the benefits one misses out on when choosing one alternative over another.
- What’s notable about this argument is that Ibn Rushd (like Plato/Al-
Farabi) is officially against wealth as main point of state. But…
– Appeals to the self-interest properly understood of his
compatriots in the service of an ameliorative program that itself is
not taken to be best.
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