Method, Structure, and Development in al-Fārābī’s Cosmology

Damien Janos, PhD (2009, McGill University), is presently a research fellow working at Georg-August-University in Göttingen, Germany. His research focuses on the history of Arabic philosophy, especially cosmology and metaphysics, about which he has written several articles.

"Throughout this work Janos has demonstrated a lively mental rigour in presenting the cosmological thought of al-Fārābī in a very clear and logical manner [...]." - Joseph Ellul, in: Islamochristiana 38 (2012)"... a work that needs to be read by any serious student of the history of Islamicate philosophy and science." - Sonja Brentjes, in: Ilahiyat Studies 4.1 (2013)"This beautiful and rich book is the revised version of D. Janos’ Ph.D. dissertation submitted to McGill University in February 2009. One of its merits is to synthesize the recent scholarship on al-Fārābī’s metaphysics and cosmology, and its main point is to provide a new interpretation of his theories on the structure and essence of the heavenly world, in order to solve some problems of al-Fārābī’s cosmological thinking. To this end, Janos analyses in depth a cluster of key cosmological and metaphysical concepts such as celestial substance, causation, intellection, and motion, paying attention to al-Fārābī’s terminology and lexicon…Janos’ book fills a gap in the scholarship and opens new perspectives for further studies. It shows that al-Fārābī has important things to say, and that he is a Figure with whom we should engage intellectually in the present." - Cecilia Martini Bonadeo, in: Studia graeco-arabica 4 (2014)"Janos's book is a brilliant contribution to Fārābān studies. Scholars may argue with some or even much, of what he has written about this great philosopher, but what they will not be able to do is ignore it. That in itself is a major token of Janos's success." - Ian Richard Netton, in: Journal of the American Oriental Society 135.4 (2015)"Zusammenfassend läßt sich sagen, daß D. Janos sowohl eine gut lesbare Synopsis der äußerst umfangreichen Forschungsliteratur zu al-Fārābī, deren kritische Einschätzung und eine darüber hinausgehende Interpretation von wichtigen Aspekten der Farabischen Kosmologie gelungen ist." - Elvira Wakelnig, University of Lausanne

• AcknowledgementsAbbreviationsIntroductionChapter One: Cosmology, the Sciences, and the Scientific MethodChapter Two: The Architecture of the Heavens: Intellects, Souls, and OrbsChapter Three: Matter and Creation: a Shift of Paradigms?Chapter Four: The Aporia of Celestial MotionConclusionAppendix 1Appendix 2BibliographyGeneral Index