The Attainment of Happiness
by Al-Farabi · Tahsil al-sa'ada
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 940
- Era
- Medieval
- Form
- Treatise
- Language
- Arabic
- Length
- Short · 50 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Difficult4 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendAlfarabi's Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, translated by Muhsin MahdiCornell University Press, 2001Mahdi's translation, where the Attainment forms the first part of a trilogy with the summaries of Plato and Aristotle.
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The first part of a trilogy in which Al-Farabi sets out the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle as a single project. It argues that the happiness of nations and cities depends on four things, the theoretical virtues, the deliberative virtues, the moral virtues and the practical arts, and describes how the philosopher who has mastered them must also be a legislator and a teacher who conveys the truth to the many through images. The true philosopher, king, legislator and imam are the same person.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Attainment of Happiness are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
