The Main Principles of Living Together in al-Fārābī’s Virtuous State

Year 2022, Issue: 57, 38 - 45, 30.06.2022

Ali Kürşat Turgut

Abstract

As a Turkish philosopher, it is important in terms of indicating the news perspectives that brought to Islamic
political philosophy in al-Madīna al-Fāḍilah and his other works, which al-Fārābī wrote with a different point of
view. Al-Fārābī’s thought of virtuous state, which he framed with moral principles, stands in a original place in
terms of signifying what should be, although it is claimed to be utopian. The Second Teacher divides the state
into two as virtuous and unvirtuous in general. Besides, the most basic point to be underlined in al-Fārābī’s
understanding of ideal or world state within the virtuous society is that all individuals in there have an comprehension of living together and for this reason they agree on certain principles. Some of these principles
are related both the ruler and ruled. Nevertheless, al-Fārābī emphasizes other principles such as justice, cooperation, love and merit. These teachings put forward by the philosopher exactly coincide with the universal
principles that humanity reached as a result of various experiences in the modern period. In this study, we will
examine the principles that al-Fārābī emphasized in his ideal state and try to evaluate how these will contribute to the opinion of living together.

Keywords

Islamic Philosophy, Al-Fārābī, Virtuous State (City), Living Together, Helping Each Other, Love

Fârâbî’nin Erdemli Devleti’nde Birlikte Yaşamanın Temel İlkeleri

Abstract

İlk Türk-İslâm filozofu olarak Fârâbî’nin yeni perspektifle kaleme aldığı el-Medinetü’l-fâzıla ve diğer eserlerinde
İslam’ın siyaset felsefesine getirdiği yeni bakış açılarını göstermesi açısından önemlidir. Ahlâkî ilkelerle çerçevesini çizdiği Fârâbî’nin ideal devlet anlayışı her ne kadar ütopik olduğu iddia edilse de olması gerekeni imlemesi açısından da farklı bir yerde durmaktadır. İkinci Muallim, devleti genel anlamda erdemli ve erdemsiz olmak
üzere ikiye ayırmaktadır. Fârâbî’nin erdemli devlet içinde ele aldığı ideal veya dünya devleti anlayışında, altı
çizilmesi gereken en temel husus, toplumdaki bütün bireylerin birlikte yaşama anlayışı içerisinde olmaları ve
bunun için de belli başlı prensiplerde fikir birliği etmeleridir. Bu prensiplerden bazıları hem idareci hem de halkla
ilgilidir. Fârâbî’nin üzerinde durduğu bu ilkelerin belli başlıları adalet, yardımlaşma, sevgi ve liyakattir. Filozofun
ortaya koyduğu bu öğretiler, modern dönemde insanlığın çeşitli tecrübeler neticesinde ulaştığı evrensel ilkelerle birebir örtüşmektedir. Bu çalışmada biz, Fârâbî’nin ideal devletinde vurguladığı ilkeleri irdeleyip, bunların
birlikte yaşama düşüncesine nasıl katkı sunacağını değerlendirmeye çalışacağız.

Keywords

İslam Felsefesi, Fârâbî, Faziletli Devlet (Şehir), Birlikte Yaşama, Yardımlaşma, Sevgi

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