Ibn Miskawayh's concept of the intellect (ʻAql)

Miskawayh's theory of intellect is the subject of this thesis; in addition, the historical and conceptual sources--Greek and Islamic--that were to shape Miskawayh's noetic are examined. The first part of this thesis examines the Greek tradition and its first most complete work dealing with the intellect, Aristotle's De Anima. Then, Alexander of Aphrodisias' noetic, as it is found in his Risalah fi/ 'Aql, Plotinus' conception of Intelligence, as it occurs in his Theologia Aristotelis and Proclus' conception of Intelligence, as it occurs in his Liber de Causis and finally, Themistius' noetic which is elaborated in his commentary of Aristotle's De Anima will be examined and evaluated in relation to Miskawayh's noetic. The second part of this thesis examines the Islamic tradition. The noetics of al-Kindiand of al-Farabi elaborated in their respective Risalah fi al-'Aql, are examined. In spite of Miskawayh's apparent shunning of his Islamic tradition, he is greatly influenced by it. The last part of this thesis examines Miskawayh's noetic as it can be reconstructed from his works: the Risalah fi al-Nafs wa al-'Aql, the al-Fawz al-Asghar and the Tahdhib al-Akhlaq. However, the use of the Risalah fial- 'Aql wa al-Ma'qul, a text attributed to Miskawayh, for the reconstruction of Miskawayh's noetic is more problematic. At he end of this study, it will appear that Miskawayh's noetic is indebted to both Greek and Islamic traditions. In spite of Miskawayh's explicit emphasis on Aristotelian aspects, he implicitly adheres to cosmological and anthropological speculations belonging to his Islamic tradition, which in turn, are greatly influenced by Neoplatonism. Thus Miskawayh, in an attempt to revive and utilize the Greek heritage, operated a rearticulation of the noeticsphere