Al-Farabi: biography. Philosophy of the Oriental Thinker

Arab scientists of antiquity, who left behind a great scientific and creative heritage, are honored in the modern world. Perhaps some of their views and concepts seem obsolete today, but in their time they directed people towards the sciences and enlightenment. One of such great scientists was Al-Farabi. His biography originates in the city of Farab (the territory of modern Kazakhstan) in 872.

The life of the great philosopher

Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Tarkhan ibn Uzlag, known throughout the world as Al-Farabi, lived a long life, leaving behind numerous works on philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, music and the natural sciences.

Contemporaries called this great man a second teacher, implying that Aristotle was the first. Biography Al-Farabi gives very scant information, since during the life of the scientist no one paid attention to it, and all the available data were collected bit by bit after a couple of centuries after his death.

It is precisely known:

• He was born in the city of Farab in 870 (according to some sources in 872). A fairly large city was near the place where the Syr Darya and Arys joined together. Later the settlement was renamed to Otrar, and today its ruins can be seen in the south of Kazakhstan in the Otrar district.
• The father of the future philosopher and scientist was a military leader in the city from an ancient Turkic clan.
• While still a young man, Abu Nasr Al-Farabi, whose biography is silent about his childhood, shunned secular receptions and spent much time studying the works of Aristotle and Plato.
• For some time he lived in Bukhara, Samarkand and Shash, where he studied and worked simultaneously.
• Finish the formation of Al-Farabi (biography tells about this in more detail) decided in Baghdad. At that time, it was the capital of the Arab Caliphate and a major cultural and scientific center.
• On the way to Baghdad, a young scientist, whose level of knowledge at that time could be called encyclopedic, visited such cities as Isfahan, Hamadan and Ray (modern Tehran).
• Arriving in the capital in 908, Al-Farabi (the biography does not give more accurate data) studies logic, medicine, natural science, Greek, but which teachers do not know.
• After living in Baghdad until 932, he left it, becoming already a well-known scientist.

Life in Damascus and world fame

Moving was the impetus for the further development of the scholar's philosophical and scientific talents, but little is known about his personal life at that time.

• In 941 the philosopher moved to Damascus, where no one knew anything about him. The first years in this city were quite difficult, as he had to work in the garden, and at night writing his great treatises.
• At one time, Abu Nasir Al-Farabi (biography does not specify exact dates) visited Syria, where he had the patron Saif al-Daula Ali Hamdani, who helped many scientists and artists of that time.
• It is known that in 949 the scientist was in Egypt.
• There are 2 versions of how the great philosopher died. Some sources say that he died for natural reasons at the age of 80 years, on others - was robbed and killed on his way to Askalan.

This was the life of Abu Nasr Al-Farabi, whose brief biography does not convey the fullness of his greatness, which can not be said of his writings.

Scientific approach to learning

So the mind of Al-Farabi was arranged (the biography does not tell about it), which could encompass several scientific directions for their study and development. He was well-versed in many sciences known during the Middle Ages and succeeded in all of them.

His work began with the study of the works of the great Greek sages. Giving comments to them, he tried to bring their thoughts in plain language to a wide range of people. Sometimes for this he had to state all this in his own words. Another scientific method used by Al-Farabi is the analysis of the great treatises of antiquity with a detailed account of their content. This can be determined from the manuscripts where the Arab scholar left his notes, which can be divided into 3 types:

• A lengthy commentary based on the statement of an ancient sage with a detailed explanation of what the author wanted to say. Such work was conducted with each chapter or section of the treatise.
• The average commentary, in which only the first phrases of the original were taken, and everything else was an explanation of Al-Farabi. The biography of the scientist does not convey the essence of this work.
• A small commentary can be called the exposition of ancient works on its own behalf. At the same time, Al-Farabi could combine several works of Aristotle or Plato at once to convey to students the meaning of their philosophy.

The study and commentary on these works not only promoted them to the broad masses of people, but also guided the thoughts of the Arab scientist to further reflect on these philosophical questions.

Contribution to the development of science

Thanks to Al-Farabi, a new direction in the development of the sciences and arts of that time began. His works on such disciplines as philosophy, music, astronomy, mathematics, logic, natural sciences, philology and others are known. His scientific works influenced such scholars of the Middle Ages as ibn Sina, ibn Badja, ibn Rushd and others. To date, about 130 works of the scientist are known, and he is also credited with organizing and creating a library in Otrar.

Al Farabi's biography in Russian indicates that he was able to study and comment on almost all the works of Aristotle, as well as such wise men as Ptolemy (Almagest), Alexander Afrodesian (On the Soul) and Euclid (Geometry). Although the ancient Greek treatises influenced the development of philosophical and scientific thought of Al-Farabi, most of his works are his mental researches and practical experiments.

Philosophical works of Al-Farabi

All scientific works of the Arab scientist can be divided into several types:

• General philosophical works, which were devoted to the laws of the universe, their properties and categories.
• Proceedings in which aspects of human activity and ways of understanding the world were considered.
• Treatises on matter, the study of its properties, as well as such categories as time and space. These include work on mathematics, geometry and astronomy.
• Separate works (the biography of Al-Farabi this mentions) are devoted to the types and properties of living nature and its laws. This includes works on the activities of people in biology, physics, chemistry, medicine and optics.
• He paid special attention to the study of social and political structures, issues of morality and upbringing, pedagogy, public administration and ethics.

During his 80 years of life, Al-Farabi left a great legacy, which in many ways outstripped his time. Do not cease to be relevant to his work in our time.

The basis of life according to the teachings of Al-Farabi

The great scientist laid the foundations of a new philosophy, according to which everything that exists in the world is divided into 6 stages, connected by causality relations:

• The first step is the root cause of the emergence of all things, why and by whom everything was conceived.
• The second is the appearance of everything.
• The third stage is an active and developing mind.
• The fourth is the soul.
• The fifth step is the form.
• The sixth is matter.

These steps lie at the basis of everything that surrounds a person, and the scientist divides them into 2 types:

• Things and conditions, which he called "possibly existent," because their nature is not always caused by the necessity of their existence.
• The latter, on the contrary, always exist by themselves and are called "necessarily existent."

The root cause of all Al-Farabi (a brief biography and an introduction to his works indicate this) called God, since only he has integrity and uniqueness, whereas the other stages have multiplicity.

The second reason is the emergence of planets and other celestial bodies, which by their nature are different from terrestrial forms. Al-Farabi defined the third stage of cosmic intelligence, which cares about living nature and seeks to bring the world to perfection.

The last 3 steps are connected with our world, and the scientist paid the closest attention to them. He separated the functions of God from what is happening in the material world, thereby limiting his interference in people's lives, giving them free will. He was able to confirm the power of matter, endowing it with eternity.

The interconnection of form and matter

He paid much attention to the relationship of form and matter. For example, he gives the interpretation of form as the wholeness of structure, and matter - as the essence and foundation of all things. He pointed out that the form can exist only due to the presence of matter and can not be outside the body. Matter, in turn, is a substratum that must necessarily be filled with content (form). The great scientist writes about this in his works "On matter and form" and in "A Treatise on the views of the inhabitants of a virtuous city."

God

Relation to God from Al-Farabi was, rather, scientific than religious. Many followers of the scientist, and further religious Arab figures, claimed that he was a true Muslim who honored the traditions of Islam. But the works of the wise man say that he tried to know God, and not blindly believe in him.

No wonder a scientist of this level was buried without participation in the procession of the clergy. Al-Farabi's statements about the structure of the world and all things were too bold.

The doctrine of the ideal city-state

He paid much attention to such aspects of life as happiness, morality, war and state policy. To him he devoted such works:

• "A Treatise on the Achievement of Happiness";
• "Ways of happiness";
• "A Treatise on War and Peaceful Life";
• "Treatise on the views of the inhabitants of a virtuous city";
• "Civil policy";
• "Treatise on the study of society";
• "On virtuous morals."

All of them affect such important in times of severe Middle Ages aspects as love for one's neighbor, immorality of wars and the natural desire of people for happiness.

If we combine these works, we can draw such a conclusion from the author's philosophy: people should live in a world of good and justice, striving for spiritual development and scientific enlightenment. He came up with a city in which management is under the guidance of wise men and philosophers, and its inhabitants do good and condemn evil. In contrast to this ideal society, the author describes cities where envy, aspiration for wealth and soullessness rule. For their time, these were quite bold political and moral views.

About music

Being talented in everything, Al-Farabi (the biography in the Kazakh language confirms this) paid a lot of time to musicology. So, he gave the concept of musical sounds, described their nature and found out what categories and elements any musical work was built from.

This led to the study and composition of music to a new level. He introduced other nations to the music of the East, leaving behind the treatises "The Word of Music" and "On the Classification of Rhythms". Unlike the Pythagorean school, where the rumor was not important for distinguishing sounds, and the main thing in this are calculations, Al-Farabi believed that it was the hearing that allows you to identify sounds and connect them to harmony.

Doctrine of knowledge

One of the important aspects of the scientist's works is the study of such a category as the mind and form of cognition. He talks about where knowledge came from, about their connection with reality, about how a person realizes reality. For example, Al-Farabi considered the nature of the object to be studied, since all knowledge people receive from outside, observing the surrounding world. Comparing the various properties of things and phenomena, analyzing them, a person acquires understanding.

So scientists were formed, thanks to which people began to understand the surrounding world more deeply. He talks about the spiritual forces of a person, that is, about the structure of his psyche, about how people perceive smells, distinguish colors and feel different emotions. These are very profound in their content, among which "The basis of wisdom," where the author considers such categories as sympathies and dislikes, as well as the reasons for their occurrence.

Logic as a form of knowledge

The scientist paid much attention to such a science as logic. He considered it a special property of the mind, the presence of which helped the person judge the truth and assert it experimentally. The art of Al-Farabi logic is the ability to separate false categories from true ones by means of evidence, which was not at all characteristic of religious dogmas and beliefs.

Scientists of the East and other countries supported his work "Introduction to logic" and "Introductory treatise on logic." Logic is an instrument through which people can acquire knowledge about the surrounding reality. So the great scientist thought.

Memory of the great scientist

In our time, not only the Arab, but the entire learned world honors the memory of such a great man. For example, there is an Al-Farabi biography in Kazakh, he dedicated the streets of cities and given names to universities. Monuments are erected in Almaty and Turkestan, and in 1975 the 1100th anniversary of the birth of Al-Farabi was widely celebrated. Biography (kazaksha) does not convey all the greatness of this man's wisdom.