History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 131 - Deborah Black on al-Farabi's Epistemology
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Jun 2, 2013 AI Snips
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Epistemology As A Logical Discipline
- Al-Farabi treats epistemology mainly as part of logic, especially via Aristotle's Posterior Analytics, and also links it to psychology.
- He classifies lesser forms of knowledge (dialectic, rhetoric, poetics) relative to demonstrative science in a Platonic hierarchy.
Commentators Shape His Aristotle
- Al-Farabi reads Aristotle through late-antique commentators like Themistius, not only Neoplatonists, shaping his interpretations.
- He also adopts Platonic hierarchical ordering of cognitive modes, emphasizing ascent to demonstrative science.
Theological Rivalry Drives Epistemology
- Al-Farabi engages Islamic theological debates (Mu'tazilite) which push him to develop epistemology as its own topic.
- He critiques theologians for conflating felt certainty with true epistemic certainty.