[lit-ideas] Re: The 'Near-Eastern' influences on the Greek philosophy, sc...

  • From: Omar Kusturica <omarkusto@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2004 01:08:31 -0700 (PDT)

--- Robert Paul <Robert.Paul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> Omar writes:
> 
> There are resonances of both Plato
> and Aristotle [in 'Avicenna']. Then you have
> Al-Ghazali (Alghazal) 
> and Ibn-Rushd (Averroes) whose work is primarily or
> largely philosophical - yes, Al-Ghazali was a
> theologian, but one deeply steeped in philosophy,
> which he did not always sufficiently credit - and
> who
> certainly have something to say to us today. 
> 
> The first Arab scholars to do philosophy in a
> recognizably Western sense were
> apparently Neoplatonists: they were later led to
> Aristotle via a study of Galen.
> Avicenna (a Persian) may have been one of the many
> thinkers of his time who
> attempted to bring about a 'reconciliation' of Plato
> and Aristotle. 

They might have been also hoping to forestall
religious objections if they could present Plato and
Aristotle as being basically in agreement with each
other, and both as basically religious thinkers.
(Notably this was suggested by Al Farabi in his
Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle.) I am not sure why
this did not work - it seems plausible enough to me.

O.K.

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