Al-Kindi 801 – 873
Al-Kindi (801 – 873) was an Arab philosopher of the Medieval era, associated with Islamic Philosophy and Medieval Philosophy.
Abu Yusuf al-Kindi was an Arab philosopher, mathematician, and polymath, often called the father of Arab philosophy. Working at the House of Wisdom in Baghdad under the Abbasid caliphs, he supervised the translation of Greek philosophical and scientific works into Arabic and composed more than two hundred treatises of his own. He sought to show that the truths of Greek philosophy and revealed religion are compatible, and he made important contributions to mathematics, optics, music theory, and cryptography. His project shaped the trajectory of falsafa in the Islamic world.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Arab
- Era
- Medieval
- Movements
- Islamic Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy
Selected quotes
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“We ought not to be ashamed of acknowledging truth from whatever source it comes to us, even if it is brought to us by former generations and foreign peoples.”
Fi’l-falsafa al-ula ("On First Philosophy") in M. A. Abu Rida (ed.) Rasa’ il al-Kindi al-falsafiyya (Cairo, 1950), p. 103; trans. R. Walzer in Greek into Arabic (Oxford, 1962), p. 12; reported in Albert Hourani , A History of the Arab Peoples , 2nd ed. (2005) ch. 4 -
Attributed to Al-Kindi:
“Philosophy is the knowledge of things in their realities, insofar as is possible for man.”
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Attributed to Al-Kindi:
“It is fitting for us not to be ashamed to admire and to acquire truth from wherever it comes.”
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Attributed to Al-Kindi:
“Knowledge of the cause is more excellent than knowledge of the effect.”
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Attributed to Al-Kindi:
“There is nothing more excellent for the soul than the acquisition of knowledge.”
Al-Kindi by topic
Frequently asked about Al-Kindi
- When did Al-Kindi live?
- Al-Kindi was born in 801 and died in 873.
- Where was Al-Kindi from?
- Al-Kindi was an Arab philosopher of the Medieval era.
- What philosophical movements is Al-Kindi associated with?
- Al-Kindi was associated with Islamic Philosophy and Medieval Philosophy.
- What was Al-Kindi known for?
- Abu Yusuf al-Kindi was an Arab philosopher, mathematician, and polymath, often called the father of Arab philosophy.
- How many quotes are attributed to Al-Kindi?
- There are 8 attributed quotations from Al-Kindi in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.