Philosophy As a Path to Happiness
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CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Helsingin yliopiston digitaalinen arkisto Philosophy as a Path to Happiness Attainment of Happiness in Arabic Peripatetic and Ismaili Philosophy Janne Mattila ACADEMIC DISSERTATION To be publicly discussed, by due permission of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki in auditorium XII, University main building, on the 13th of June, 2011 at 12 o’clock. ISBN 978-952-92-9077-2 (paperback) ISBN 978-952-10-7001-3 (PDF) http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/ Helsinki University Print Helsinki 2011 2 Abstract The aim of this study is to explore the idea of philosophy as a path to happiness in medieval Arabic philosophy. The starting point is in comparison of two distinct currents within Arabic philosophy between the 10th and early 11th centuries, Peripatetic philosophy, represented by al-Fārābī and Ibn Sīnā, and Ismaili philosophy represented by al-Kirmānī and the Brethren of Purity. These two distinct groups of sources initially offer two contrasting views about philosophy. The attitude of the Peripatetic philosophers is rationalistic and secular in spirit, whereas for the Ismailis philosophy represents the esoteric truth behind revelation. Still, the two currents of thought converge in their view that the ultimate purpose of philosophy lies in its ability to lead man towards happiness. Moreover, they share a common concept of happiness as a contemplative ideal of human perfection, merged together with the Neoplatonic goal of the soul’s reascent to the spiritual world. Finally, for both happiness refers primarily to an otherworldly state thereby becoming a philosophical interpretation of the Quranic accounts of the afterlife. For both Peripatetic and Ismaili philosophers the way to happiness consists of two parts: theory and practice. The practical part of philosophy manifests itself in the idea of the purification of the rational soul from its bodily attachments in order for it to direct its attention fully to the contemplative life. Hence, there appears an ideal of philosophical life with the goal of relative detachment from the worldly life. All Arabic philosophers moreover interpret the regulations of the religious law within this context, perceiving their purpose to lie in their purificatory function within the soul’s ascent to spirituality, and possessing a distinct meaning for philosophers and non- philosophers. However, only for al-Kirmānī is the philosophical praxis limited to the religious regulations. For the rest, religious law emerges as only the first stage of pre- philosophical purification, which is complemented by auxiliary philosophical practices conducive to happiness, such as the general practice of ascesis, methods habituating the soul towards virtue, and the practice of philosophical self-governance. The soul’s ascent to happiness, however, takes place primarily through the acquisition of theoretical knowledge, for which practical purification prepares the human soul. Within the soul’s theoretical ascent all parts of philosophy play a Gnostic role of providing the knowledge indispensable for salvation. The primary content of this knowledge is understood to consist of the conception of the hierarchy of physical and metaphysical reality. All of philosophy, however, forms a curriculum of knowledge through which the soul gradually ascends from a material to a spiritual state of being. For Ismaili philosophy the ascent takes place from the exoteric religious knowledge associated with the material sphere towards the esoteric knowledge of the spiritual plane. For Peripatetic philosophers the ascent proceeds within the philosophical sciences. Hence, within the soul’s ascent logic performs the function of an instrument enabling the ascent, mathematics is treated either as propaedeutic to philosophy or as a mediator between physical and metaphysical knowledge, whereas physics and metaphysics provide the core of knowledge necessary for the attainment of happiness. 3 Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to all the individuals and institutions that have contributed to the completion of this dissertation, even if I might not recall all of their names here. First of all, I would like to thank Kone Foundation for the financial support that made the writing of this work possible. I am also grateful to the teachers at the discipline of Arabic and Islamic studies of the University of Helsinki who initiated me into this field in the first place, and inspired my curiosity towards medieval Islamic world and culture. I would like to thank my colleagues in the Institute for Asian and African Studies, as well as the participants in the seminars – the official and unofficial ones – who read and commented the work in writing. I am particularly grateful to the supervisor of my doctoral thesis, Professor Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila, for his generous help and support throughout my doctoral studies, as well as for his guidance during my earlier years of study. I am furthermore thankful for the helpful comments and critique that I received from the professors Carmela Baffioni and Taneli Kukkonen during the process of revision, even if I have thus far only been able to incorporate their ideas into my work in part. I would also like to thank all the friends – especially Tiina, Samuel, and Mikko – who patiently conversed with me about themes related to my thesis – as well as other unrelated things. Finally, I am grateful to my parents for their support throughout the lengthy process of the writing of this dissertation. 4 Contents 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 7 1.1 Arabic philosophy as a path to happiness ............................................................ 7 1.2 Program of study ................................................................................................ 10 2 Peripatetic background .......................................................................................... 13 2.1 Development of Peripatetic philosophy ............................................................. 13 2.2 The Straussian question ..................................................................................... 17 2.3 Al-Fārābī ............................................................................................................ 20 2.4 Ibn Sīnā .............................................................................................................. 25 2.5 Practical philosophy ........................................................................................... 30 3 Ismaili background ................................................................................................. 35 3.1 Development of Ismaili doctrine ....................................................................... 35 3.2 Development of Ismaili philosophy ................................................................... 41 3.3 Al-Kirmānī ......................................................................................................... 46 3.4 Brethren of Purity .............................................................................................. 51 3.5 Methodology of Ismaili philosophy ................................................................... 59 4 The nature of happiness ......................................................................................... 63 4.1 Happiness and perfection ................................................................................... 63 4.2 Intellectual happiness ......................................................................................... 65 4.3 Contact with the Intellect ................................................................................... 69 4.4 Happiness and the afterlife ................................................................................. 75 4.5 Happiness and practical perfection .................................................................... 84 5 Happiness and philosophy ...................................................................................... 87 5.1 Philosophical life ............................................................................................... 87 5.2 Dual path of the Ismailis .................................................................................... 94 5.3 Initiation into philosophy ................................................................................... 99 6 Practical purification ............................................................................................ 104 6.1 Beginning of purification ................................................................................. 104 6.2 Theory of virtue ............................................................................................... 110 6.3 Governance of the soul .................................................................................... 116 6.4 The practice of virtue ....................................................................................... 118 6.5 Love and death ................................................................................................. 124 6.6 Philosophical lives ........................................................................................... 129 6.7 Religious purification ....................................................................................... 132 6.8 Philosophical purification ...............................................................................