Alfarabi's Book of Dialectic (Kitab al-Jadal): On the Starting Point of Islamic Philosophy PDF
Preview Alfarabi's Book of Dialectic (Kitab al-Jadal): On the Starting Point of Islamic Philosophy
Alfarabi’s Book of Dialectic (Kitāb al-Jadal) Widelyregarded asthefounderofthe Islamicphilosophicaltradition, andasthe singlegreatestphilosophicalauthority afterAristotlebyhis successorsinthemedievalIslamic,Jewish,andChristiancommunities, Alfarabi was a leading figure in the fields of Aristotelian logic and Platonicpoliticalscience.ThefirstcompleteEnglishtranslationofhis commentaryonAristotle’sTopics,Alfarabi’sBookofDialectic,orKitāb al-Jadal,ispresentedhereinadeeplyresearchededitionbasedonthe mostcompleteArabicmanuscriptsources.DavidM.DiPasqualeargues thatAlfarabi’sunderstandingof theSocraticart ofdialecticisthekey prismthroughwhichtograsphisrecoveryofanauthentictraditionof Greekscienceonthevergeofextinction.HealsosuggeststhattheBook ofDialecticisuniquetotheextenttowhichitunitesAlfarabi’slogicaland political writings, opening up novel ways of interpreting Alfarabi’s influence. David M. DiPasquale is Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Department of Political Science and the Islamic Civilization and Societies Program at Boston College where he specializes in Islamic philosophy,law,andpoliticalphilosophy. ’ Alfarabi s Book of Dialectic (Kitā b al-Jadal) On the Starting Point of Islamic Philosophy David M. DiPasquale BostonCollege,Massachusetts UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom OneLibertyPlaza,20thFloor,NewYork,NY10006,USA 477WilliamstownRoad,PortMelbourne,VIC3207,Australia 314–321,3rdFloor,Plot3,SplendorForum,JasolaDistrictCentre, NewDelhi–110025,India 79AnsonRoad,#06–04/06,Singapore079906 CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge. ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof education,learning,andresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence. www.cambridge.org Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781108417532 DOI:10.1017/9781108277822 ©DavidM.DiPasquale2019 Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements, noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress. Firstpublished2019 PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyTJInternationalLtd.PadstowCornwall AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Names:Fārāb¯ı,author.|DiPasquale,DavidM.,1968–translator. Title:Alfarabi’sbookofdialectic(Kitābal-jadal):onthestartingpointofIslamic philosophy/DavidM.DiPasquale. Othertitles:Jadal.English Description:NewYork,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress,2019.|Includes bibliographicalreferencesandindex.|TranslatedfromArabic. Identifiers:LCCN2019010877|ISBN9781108417532(hardback) Subjects:LCSH:Fārāb¯ı.Jadal.|Dialectic–Earlyworksto1800.|Logic–Early worksto1800.|Islamicphilosophy–Earlyworksto1800.|BISAC:POLITICAL SCIENCE/History&Theory. Classification:LCCB753.F33J23132019|DDC181/.6–dc23 LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2019010877 ISBN978-1-108-41753-2Hardback CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof URLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain, accurateorappropriate. For my mother and the memory of my father Do not busy yourself with books on the art of logic except for what was composed by the wise man Abu Nasr Alfarabi. For, in general, everything that he composed – and in particular his book on the Principles of Beings [PoliticalRegime]–isallfinerthanfineflour.Hisargumentsenableoneto understandandcomprehend,forhewasverygreatinwisdom. Maimonides(inlettertoIbnTibbon) AsregardsthatwhichconcernsAbuNasrAlfarabi,itsufficestosaythatoneis moreandmoreimpressedbyhismerit,andthatheshouldnotatallbeplaced on the same level with the others. It is apparent, then, that he is the most excellentofthosewhoprecededus. Avicenna(inlettertoKiyā) Contents Preface pageix Acknowledgments xxii Introduction 1 1 Alfarabi’sKitābal-Jadal:ACompleteEnglishTranslation 11 2 DialecticandPoliticalScience 117 3 DialecticandthePrinciplesofAllScience 146 4 DialecticandtheMethodofNaturalandDivineScience 194 5 DialecticandEducation 239 6 Conclusion:AlfarabiandtheTaxonomyoftheMedieval ArabicOrganon 279 GlossaryA: English–Arabic 289 GlossaryB: Arabic–English 297 References 304 Index 327 vii Acknowledgments It has taken many years for this book to find its way to press, and Iembracetheopportunitytoacknowledgethosewhohaveplayedapart in its development. Throughout my formative years I was blessed with teacherswhoexemplifiedbytheirbehaviorandscholarshipwhatitmeans totakeseriouslythelifeofthemind.WhohasbeenasfortunateasIinhis teachers?FatherErnestFortinwasthefirsttorecognize(andencourage) my interest in Islamic philosophy. Wolfhart Heinrichs, Robert Wisnovsky,andHarveyC.Mansfieldwerethereatthebeginningofthis particularproject,andeachassistedthegrowthofthethesisinsignificant (and uniquely valuable) ways. Without the steady, generous, and thoughtful support of Charles E. Butterworth at every stage, I am not entirelyconvincedthetextwouldhavebeenabletoseethelightofday. May he always know how much I value his relentless and sober consid- eration.Anyreaderofthefollowingwhoisevenremotelyconversantwith thefieldofIslamicphilosophywillnoteimmediatelymyindebtednessto thelate Muhsin Mahdi. Recognizedas the single greatestscholar inthe field(afieldwhichheeffectivelyrevivifiedwithhismeticulouseditionsof andstudiesonAlfarabibeginninginthe1960s),heinvitedmetojoinhim in Harvard University’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizationsduringwhatwouldbecomethefinalyearsofhisproductive academiclife.AtnopointduringthecompositionofthisworkdidIfailto appreciate his wisdom and mentorship. May this volume honor his memory. LewisBatemanofCambridgeUniversityPresssuccessfullypromoted thistexttothePressSyndicate,andIowehimagreatdealforhistireless efforts on its behalf. As saddened as I was when he retired, I could not imagine finer editors than his successors Liz Friend-Smith and Ruth Boyes, who have been unfailingly helpful and patient. I am indebted to themandalsotoMuhammadRidwaanforhispainstakingandexemplary workascopyeditor. MycolleaguesandstudentsatBostonCollegehaveprovidedformany yearsnowtherequisitefreedomsandopportunitiestoclarify,modify,and xxii
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