At the threshold of philosophy: A study of al-Farabi's introductory works on logic.

摘要

Abu Nas&dotbelow;r Muh&dotbelow;ammad al-Farabi (c. 870--950), has long been acknowledged medieval Arabic philosophy as the "Second Teacher", second only to Aristotle in rank. Primarily known for his many works on logic and political philosophy, al-Farabi's influence on his successors was profound, not only in the Arabic-speaking milieu but also in the Hebrew and Latin traditions as well.;This thesis examines six works of al-Farabi that serve as introductions to the study of logic: the chapter on logic from the Enumeration of the Sciences, the Introductory Risala , the Introductory Chapters, the Madkhal (Introduction), the Exhortation to the Path of Happiness , and the Book of Utterances Used in Logic. These works form part of the isagogical tradition that had its source in Porphyry's (232--309) Isagoge or "Introduction," which headed the Aristotelian logical curriculum and served as an introduction to philosophy as a whole. Beginning in late Hellenistic times and continuing throughout the medieval period, an entire complex of introductory material grew up around the Isagoge and served to orient the student of philosophy in his quest for knowledge and the philosophical way of life.;The aim of this dissertation is to discuss the major themes that are found in these six works of al-Farabi and to examine his ongoing dialectic with his predecessors and contemporaries on a variety of philosophical and pre-philosophical topics. The dissertation includes the translation of three of these works---the chapter on logic from the Enumeration of the Sciences, the Exhortation to the Path of Happiness, and the Utterances Used in Logic.