Medieval Philosophy - Essay Example

Groundwork in Islamic Philosophy By Macksood A. Aftab There is a naturaltendency to think of medieval philosophy as coterminous with the philosophical thought of medieval Islam. Relative to Western philosophy, Macksood in his scholarly article states, Islamic medieval philosophy has remained largely hidden. To put the matter in another way, the term "medieval philosophy" brings to mind, in the first instance at least, names such as Bacon, Aquinas, Ibn Sina, Al-Gazali, or Ibn Rushd. Al-Farabi (Alpharabius), a Turk, combined the thought of Aristotle, Plato, and the Sufi Muslim mystics.

He outlined his philosophy in a treatise describing a model city where happiness governed all. His belief that the world had no beginning shocked many Muslims - and influenced St. Thomas Aquinas. Al-Ghazali, after studying the rationalist philosophers became a mystic convinced that ultimate truth could be attained only through revelation. While other philosophers claimed that God dealt only with universals, Ghazali's God was concerned with the minutest details. Perhaps best known to the Western World were Ibn Sina, known in Europe as Avicenna (980-1037), and Ib Rushd (Averroes).

Ibn Sina's numerous works, also rooted in Aristotle, greatly influenced medieval European philosophers such as Abelard, Albertus Magnus, and St. Thomas Aquinas. Ibn Rushd, born in 1126 in Spain, wrote about philosophy, mathematics, law, and theology, building upon his predecessors, al-Farabi and Ibn Sina. He was the last of the classical Muslim philosophers in Spain. Faith in the existence of human knowledge in all men marked his philosophy - which also had many similarities to that of Thomas Aquinas.

The ninth century A.C. forms the golden period of the development of Islamic learning, when the Arabs were the real standard bearers of civilization. They not only saved Greek learning from total extinction but also made lasting contributions to almost all branches of knowledge and made considerable advancements in diverse spheres of human activity. The distinguished scientist and philosopher during the first half of the IXth century were Alkindi and Al-Farghani. Al Kindi, an encyclopaedist and a versatile genius was regarded by Cardan, a philosopher of Renaissance as 'one of the 12 subtlest minds' (Houtsma .

According to Abu Maashar, the author of Mozakkarat, Al Kindi was considered among the four greatest translators that the Muslim world produced. According to the celebrated Indian historian, Sir J. N. Sircar, "few know physics and metaphysics. Amongst those few, the greatest in Asia was Al-Biruni, at once a philosopher and a scientist and pre-eminent in both of these seemingly incompatible fields". A contemporary of the renowned Avicenna, Biruni occupies a distinguished place among the intellectual wizards produced by the world of Islam.

Nasir al-Din Toosi was an outstanding encyclopaedist with a fine synthetic brain. A large number of his treatises are not included in this list. In order of importance, his large number of philosophical, metaphysical and theological treatises ranks only next to his works on astronomy and mathematics. In orthodox circles of his sect, his fame chiefly rests on these treatises. At the end Macksood insists that in this contemporary context it is important, for Islamic thought at least, to reassert itself clearly and classify its parameters upon which a current Islamic epistemology can be built.

References:Aftab, Macksood A. (2000). Groundworks in Islamic Philosophy, Accessed 30th March, 2009 from http://www.radicalacademy.com/adiphilislamessay1.htm