Аl-Farаbi, Abu Nasr (872-950)
Persian Islamic neoplatonist who employed Aristotelian logic in support of
his arguments for the existence of god and used Plato's Republic as the
model for his own description of civil society in Principles of Citizens of
the Virtuous City.
Ibn Sina, Abщ'Alм al-Husayn (980-1037)
Persian Islamic philosopher and physician whose Kitab Al-Shifa (Book of
Healing) commented on the philosophy of Aristotle. As a leading
neoplatonist, Ibn Sina emphasized the causal necessity that characterizes
emanations from the divine, but supposed that human knowledge can best be
achieved by mystical illumination.
Neoplatonism
Philosophical system developed by Plotinus and others. Nominally derived
from Plato's metaphysics, neoplatonic philosophy regards the natural world
as a series of emanations from the nature of god. During most of the
medieval period, this system was the most influential version of Plato's
thought.
Aristotelianism
A tradition, dating from the medieval period, concerned with promoting and
defending significant portions of the philosophy of Aristotle.
