چكيده لاتين
This dissertation addresses the political crisis of our time by examining the works of Al-Farabi—the preeminent classical political philosopher of the Islamic world. Drawing upon the interpretations of Leo Strauss and his school, this study explores Farabiʹs political philosophy as a potential pathway out of this crisis. The central question is whether a rational model for reconstructing political philosophy can be derived from the Farabian corpus to confront our contemporary predicament. Conceptually, this crisis is characterized by the marginalization and removing of fundamental questions concerning human ends, the good political order, and just law within modern political philosophy. Contemporary positivist political science, influenced by its methodology, largely focuses on the administration of power and the management of political conflict, eschewing inquiry into values and ultimate ends. In line with this value-free approach, the fundamental questions of political philosophy have fallen into the chaos of historicism and relativism, stripping away the possibility of investigating universal values. Leo Strauss identified this shift as a symptom of a profound crisis in modern political life. He argued that the elimination of political philosophy—as the discipline that investigates the just law and the good political order—removes the rational foundation of politics, abandoning it to a "Power Politics". For Strauss, a return to classical political philosophy is essential to identify the origins of this crisis, wherein the challenge posed by revealed religion to philosophy stands as a pivotal moment. The modern solution to this conflict, however, ultimately led to the denial of reasonʹs authority. The question now is whether the classical approach to the conflict between reason and revelation can offer a defense for the authority of reason in politics. In his works, Farabi undertakes a philosophical effort to delineate the rational foundations of the shariʹa (divine law). In his political system, the "first ruler" is not merely a political leader but a philosopher-prophet who derives his wisdom from his connection to the Active Intellect. This ruler can translate the teachings of theoretical reason into a persuasive, religious language for the populace in the form of the shariʹa. Thus, in Farabiʹs view, the shariʹa is an "image" of philosophy, and the virtuous city is founded upon the intricate relationship between reason and revelation. In this framework, revelation does not conflict with reason; rather, it is the imaginative representation of the same truth that the philosopher grasps rationally. Such an approach enables a mutual defense: of philosophy from the standpoint of shariʹa, and of shariʹa from the standpoint of philosophy. This Farabian approach is distinctly Platonic in character, and an examination of its Platonic dimensions is a key objective of this research. Ultimately, this study contends that a return to Farabi, guided by a Straussian reading, is not merely a historical exercise concerning dated questions about the relationship between reason and divine law. Instead, it offers a theoretical response to the crisis of modern political philosophy and the impasse created by the delegitimization of reason in the political sphere. At a time when modern political philosophy has been either reduced to political science or restricted to individual ethics, Farabi offers a path to rethinking it as a discipline concerned with the foundations of collective happiness and a just human life.
