332
PROCLUS
c.412–485 CE
Born in Constantinople, Proclus
succeeded his Platonist teacher
Syrianus as head of the Academy
at Athens. His Commentary on
Euclid is the main account of
the early development of Greek
geometry, and his Commentary on
Plato’s Timaeus has been described
as the most important ancient
Neo-Platonist text. A scientist,
mathematician, lawyer, and
poet, with a deep interest in
religion, he was to become an
influence on many thinkers in
both the medieval Islamic and the
Christian schools of philosophy.
See also: Plato 50–55 ■ Boethius
74 –75 ■ Thomas Aquinas 88–95
JOHN PHILOPONUS
490–570 CE
Almost nothing is known about
Philoponus’s early life other than
he studied in Alexandria with the
Aristotelian Ammonius Hermiae.
A philosopher and natural scientist,
Philoponus’s methods of enquiry
were shaped by Christian beliefs.
By arguing that the universe had an
absolute beginning, and that this
beginning was caused by God, he
became the first serious critic of
Aristotle, opening up paths of
enquiry which became major
influences on future scientists,
notably the Italian astronomer
Galileo Galilei. Unpopular with
his colleagues, he later gave up
philosophy and turned to theology,
again causing controversy by
suggesting that the Trinity was
not one but three separate Gods.
See also: Aristotle 56–63 ■
Thomas Aquinas 88–95
AL-KINDI
801-873 CEThe Iraqi polymath Al-Kindî was
one of the first Islamic scholars to
introduce ancient Greek ideas to
the Islamic world. He worked at
Baghdad’s House of Wisdom, where
he supervised the translation of the
great Classical texts into Arabic.
He wrote extensively on a variety of
subjects, most notably psychology
and cosmology, mixing his own
Neo-Platonist approach with the
authority of Aristotelian argument.
He had a special interest in the
compatibility of philosophy and
Islamic theology, and many of his
works are concerned with the
nature of God and the human soul,
as well as prophetic knowledge.
See also: Al-Fârâbî 332 ■
Avicenna 76 –79 ■ Averroes 82– 83JOHANNES SCOTUS
ERIUGENA
c.815–877CEHis Latin name is often translated
as John the Scot, but the theologian
and philosopher Johannes Scotus
Eriugena was Irish—the medieval
Latin for Ireland being “Scotia”. He
argued that there was no conflict
between knowledge that was
derived from reason and knowledge
from divine revelation. He even set
out to demonstrate that all Christian
doctrine had in fact a rational basis.
This brought him into conflict with
the Church, on the grounds that his
theories made both revelation and
faith redundant. Eruigena’s defense
was that reason is the judge of all
authority, and that it is needed for
us to interpret revelation.
See also: Plato 50–55 ■
St. Augustine of Hippo 72–73AL-FARABI
c.872–950 CEIt is disputed whether Al-Fârâbî
was born in what is now Iran or in
Kazakhstan, but it is certain that
he arrived in Baghdad in 901,
where he spent much of his life.
Although a Neo-Platonist, he was
also highly influenced by Aristotle
and wrote commentaries on his
work, as well as on other subjects,
including medicine, science, and
music. He regarded philosophy as
a calling conferred by Allah and as
the only route to true knowledge.
In this life, he said, philosophers
have a duty to guide people in all
matters of daily life; his book The
Ideas of the Citizens of the Virtuous
City describes a Platonic utopia
ruled by philosopher prophets.
See also: Aristotle 56–63 ■
Avicenna 76 –79 ■ Averroes 82– 83AL-GHAZALI
c.1058–1111Born what is now Iran, Al-Ghazâlî
was head of the prestigious
Nizamiyyah school in Baghdad
from 1092 to 1096, when he wrote
The Opinions of the Philosophers,
which explains the Neo-Platonist
and Aristotelian views of Islamic
scholars. His lectures brought him
great respect and wealth, but after
concluding that truth comes from
faith and mystical practices, and not
from philosophy, he abandoned his
teaching post and possessions to
become a wandering Sufi preacher.
He came to believe that all causal
links between events were only
made possible by the will of God.
See also: Aristotle 56–63 ■
Avicenna 76 –79 ■ Averroes 82– 83 ■
Moses Maimonides 84–85DIRECTORY