KMP 2043 CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN

PHILOSOPHICAL & HISTORICAL NIK SYAHAR AIMAN NIK DAUD 14689

ABU NASR AL FARABI

PHILOSOPHY IN EDUCATION

BACKGROUND

Abu Nasr Mohammad Ibn al-Farakh alFarabi Born in a small village Wasij, near Farab in Turkistan in 259 A.H. (870 A.D.). His parents were originally of Persian descent, but his ancestors had migrated to Turkistan. Known as al-Phrarabius in Europe. He was called the "Second Teacher" (alMou'allim al-Thani)

PHILOSOPHY
Al-Farabi held the belief that philosophy and Islam are in harmony. Al-Farabi's beliefs both about what can be known and the complete range of that knowledge. He proved the existence of the void in his contribution to Physics.

His book Kitab al-Ihsa al-'Ulum presents fundamental principles and classification of sciences from a fresh perspective This book illustrates neatly al-Farabi's beliefs both about what can be known and the sheer range of that knowledge. Here he leaves aside the division into theological and philosophical sciences which other Islamic thinkers would use.

In the book, he divides his material instead into five major chapters. Chapter 1 deals with the 'science of language', Chapter 2 formally covers the 'science of logic', Chapter 3 is devoted to the 'mathematical sciences', Chapter 4 surveys physics and metaphysics, Chapter 5 encompasses 'civil science' (some prefer the term 'political science'), jurisprudence and scholastic theology.

A brief examination of these chapter headings shows that a total of eight main subjects are covered; not surprisingly, there are further subdivisions as well. For example, the third chapter on the mathematical sciences embraces the seven subdivisions of arithmetic, geometry, optics, astronomy, music, weights and 'mechanical artifices'; these subdivisions in turn have their own subdivisions.

One of the important contributions of al- Farabi was to make the study of logic more easy by dividing it into two categories: Takhayyul (idea) Thubut (proof)

Al-Farabi also wrote a book on music, called Kitab al-Musiqa (the Book of Music). He was an expert in art and the science of music He had invented several musical instruments, besides contributing to what we now know as "musical notes". It has been reported that he could play his instrument so well that he could make people laugh or weep.

List of Al-Farabi works

al-Farabi (c.870-950) al-Madina al-fadila (The Virtuous City), trans. R. Walzer, commentary by the translator.)

Al-Farabi on the Perfect State: Abu Nasr al-Farabi's Mabadi' Ara Ahl al-Madina al-Fadila, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1985. (Revised with introduction and
al-Farabi (c.870-950) Risala fi'l-'aql (Epistle on the Intellect), ed. M. Bouyges, Beirut: Imprimerie Catholique, 1938. (A seminal text for the understanding of Farabian epistemology.) al-Farabi (c.870-950) Kitab al-huruf (The Book of Letters), ed. M. Mahdi, Beirut: Dar al-Mashriq, 1969. (Modelled on Aristotle's Metaphysics, but of interest to students of linguistics as well as of philosophy.) al-Farabi(c. 870-950) Kitab ihsa' al-'ulum (The Book of the Enumeration of the Sciences), ed. and trans. A. Gonzlez Palencia, Catlogo de las Ciencias, Arabic text with Latin and Spanish translation, Madrid: Imprenta y Editorial Maestre, 1953. (A survey of the learned sciences of the day, of encyclopedic range.) al-Farabi (c.870-950) Kitab al-musiqa al-kabir (The Great Book of Music), ed. G.A. Khashab and M.A. al-Hafni, Cairo: Dar al-Katib al-'Arabi, 1967. (Al-Farabi's major contribution to musicology.)