Major Works

• Philosophy of Aristotle

  - Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. Trans. Muhsin Mahdi. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1962.
  Excerpt: “1. Aristotle sees the perfection of man as Plato sees it and more. However, because man’s perfection is not self-evident or easy to explain by a demonstration leading to certainty, he saw fit to start from a position anterior to that… More

• Aims of Aristotle’s Metaphysics

  - Classical Arabic Philosophy: An Anthology of Sources. Trans. Jon McGinnis and David C. Reisman. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co. Inc., 2007.
  Excerpt: “1. Our intention in this treatist is to point out the aim and primary divisions of the book by Aristotle known as the Metaphysics, since many people have the preconceived notion that the point and purpose of this book is to discuss the… More

• The Book of Letters

  - Medieval Islamic Philosophical Writings. Ed. Muhammad Ali Khalidi. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.
  Excerpt: “The capacities for dialectic, sophistry, and for the uncertain or dubious philosophy must precede the capacity for the certain philosophy, which is demonstrative philosophy, since one becomes aware of demonstrations after these others (i.e.… More

• The Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle

  - Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. Trans. Muhsin Mahdi. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1962.
  Excerpt: “1. First he investigated the human things that make man enviable as to which of them constitutes the perfection of man as man, for every being has a perfection. Thus he investigated whether man’s perfection consists only in his having… More

Other Works

• Directing the Attention to the Way to Happiness

  - Medieval Political Philosophy: A Sourcebook. 2nd. Edition. Eds. Joshua Parens and Joseph C. MacFarland. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2011. pp. 13-53.
  Excerpt: “1. The human things through which nations and citizens of cities attain earthly happiness in this life and supreme happiness in the life beyond are of four kinds: theoretical virtues, deliberative virtues, moral virtues, and practical arts. 2.… More

Commentary

• Quelques Remarques sur la Science Politique de Maimonide et de Fārābī

  - Strauss, Leo. “Quelques Remarques sur la Science Politique de Maimonide et de Fārābī.” Revue des Etudes Juives. Paris: Janvier-Juin 1936, no. 199-200, pp. 1-37.
  Overview: An early but still useful attempt by Strauss to appreciate the role of political science in Alfarabi and Maimonides’ work.

• The Editio Princeps of Fārābī’s Compendium Legum Platonis

  - Mahdi, Muhsin. “The Editio Princeps of Fārābī’s Compendium Legum Platonis.” Journal of Near Eastern Studies. Vol 20, No.1, Jan. 1961, pp. 1-24.
  Overview: A powerful and philologically competent defense of the view that Alfarabi’s work on Plato’s Laws represents far more than a more summary of Plato or Galen. Excerpt: “The “Summary of Plato’s Laws” by Alfarabi is the only… More

• Metaphysics as Rhetoric: Alfarabi’s Summary of Plato’s ‘Laws’

  - Parens, Joshua. Metaphysics as Rhetoric: Alfarabi’s Summary of Plato’s ‘Laws.’ Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995.
  Overview: The first attempt at a comprehensive interpretation of Alfarabi’s puzzling Summary of Plato’s Laws. The claim that Alfarabi had access to the original text, which had also been suggested by Mahdi a generation earlier, has provoked a vicious… More

• Galen’s Synopsis of Plato’s Laws and Fārābī’s Talhīs

  - Gutas, Dimitri. "Galen's Synopsis of Plato's Laws and Farabi's Talhis." In The Ancient Tradition in Christian and Islamic Hellenism. Eds. Gerhard Endress and Remke Kruk. Leiden: Research School CNSW, 1997.
  Overview: Argues that Alfarabi had access to Plato’s Laws only through a lost commentary by Galen, a fact that explains many of the peculiarities of his summary.

• Al-Fārābī on the Democratic City

  - Khalidi, Muhammad Ali. “Al-Fārābī on the Democratic City.” British Journal for the History of Philosophy 11 (3) 2003, pp. 379-394.
  Overview: A spirited attempt to show that Alfarabi’s account of democracy resembles modern liberal democracy. Khalidi probably overstates his case, but this intelligent articles remains well-worth reading. Excerpt: “This essay will explore some of… More

• Alfarabi’s Imperfect Constitutions

  - Crone, Patricia. “Alfarabi’s Imperfect Constitutions.” Mélanges de l’Université Saint-Joseph, Vol. LVII, 2004, pp. 191-228.
  Overview: A lively and learned discussion of Alfarabi’s treatment of the non-virtuous governments, including democracy.