Miskawayh 932 – 1030
Miskawayh (932 – 1030) was a Persian philosopher of the Medieval era, associated with Islamic Philosophy and Medieval Philosophy.
Ahmad ibn Muhammad Miskawayh was a Persian Islamic philosopher, historian, and bureaucrat at the Buyid court in Baghdad, and the most important Islamic moral philosopher between al-Razi and al-Ghazali. His Tahdhib al-Akhlaq, The Refinement of Character, translated and synthesized Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics, Galen, and Neoplatonic ethical writings into a single Islamic system of virtue ethics, in which character is formed by habit toward a mean of action proper to the rational soul. The Eternal Wisdom, an anthology of moral aphorisms drawn from Greek, Persian, Indian, and Arabic sources, was one of the first attempts in any tradition at a comparative anthology of practical wisdom.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Persian
- Era
- Medieval
- Movements
- Islamic Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Miskawayh:
“Character is shaped by habit; habit is shaped by deliberate choice.”
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Attributed to Miskawayh:
“Justice is the virtue that holds all the others together.”
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Attributed to Miskawayh:
“The wisdom of the Greeks, the Persians, and the Indians is one wisdom in many languages.”
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Attributed to Miskawayh:
“He who refines his character makes the soul a fitting dwelling for reason.”
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Attributed to Miskawayh:
“Friendship is the highest political relation, and the most personal as well.”
Frequently asked about Miskawayh
- When did Miskawayh live?
- Miskawayh was born in 932 and died in 1030.
- Where was Miskawayh from?
- Miskawayh was a Persian philosopher of the Medieval era.
- What philosophical movements is Miskawayh associated with?
- Miskawayh was associated with Islamic Philosophy and Medieval Philosophy.
- What was Miskawayh known for?
- Ahmad ibn Muhammad Miskawayh was a Persian Islamic philosopher, historian, and bureaucrat at the Buyid court in Baghdad, and the most important Islamic moral philosopher between al-Razi and al-Ghazali.
- How many quotes are attributed to Miskawayh?
- There are 5 attributed quotations from Miskawayh in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.