Life
Reliable facts are few: probably born c. 870 in Farab, he moved to Baghdad, went to Syria in 943 and died in Damascus in December 950 or January 951 (SEP; Iranica).
The Second Teacher
Called the “Second Teacher” after Aristotle, he ordered the sciences in his Enumeration of the Sciences, whose medieval Latin versions were influential in Europe.
The Virtuous City
Begun in Baghdad and completed in Damascus in 943, the book opens with a metaphysical hierarchy of beings and then describes the city; the ideal city’s hierarchy mirrors that cosmic order.
The core idea
An association whose members cooperate toward the things that bring true felicity is the “excellent” or virtuous city; other cities aim at wealth, pleasure, honour or domination instead.
A weekly exercise
Apply the test to a team, class or group chat you belong to: what goal do people actually cooperate toward?
Further reading
Reference links for verification. This article is original Vemetto wording and does not copy source text.