About

Deep readings of important political and ethical texts of the western tradition reveal an abiding tension between the city and political philosophy. Perhaps nothing could be more true than what is written about this tension within the Platonic and Aristotelian corpora. Yet it did not cease with the ancient Greeks but persisted throughout history, even emerging once again during the Golden Age of Islam under Harun Al-Rashid. Thus, my interests pertain to a further investigation of this tension within the context of Islamic and Jewish political philosophy: two traditions that advanced, preserved, and perpetuated many core tenets extant in the corpora of Plato and Aristotle. Given that this is an immense topic, I will initially focus on Al-Farabi’s political writings, desiring to make additional inferences that connect not only with Plato and Aristotle but also with the political philosophers of modernity.