Al-Farabi was a renowned philosopher and jurist whose work spanned political philosophy, metaphysics, ethics, and logic. He was also a scientist, cosmologist, mathematician, and music scholar. Revered in Arabic philosophical tradition as "the Second Master" after Aristotle, he is credited with preserving original Greek texts through his commentaries and treatises during the Middle Ages. His extensive influence extended to many prominent philosophers, making his work known and respected in both the East and the West.
Alfarabi (ca. 870-950) founded the great tradition of Aristotelian/Platonic political philosophy in medieval Islamic and Arabic culture. In this second volume of political writings, Charles E. Butterworth presents translations of Alfarabi's Political Regime and Summary of Plato's Laws, accompanied by introductions that discuss the background...