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This year marks the 1150th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding scientist of the East, philosopher, mathematician, and music theorist Abu Nasr Al-Farabi. One of the largest representatives of Eastern philosophy, he is known as the author of commentaries on the works of Aristotle and Plato, for which he received the nickname "the Second Teacher".
Abu Nasr Ibn Muhammad Tarkhan Ibn Uzlag al-Farabi at-Turki was born in 870 in one of the largest cities in Central Asia at that time – Farab, now a settlement in the Otyrar district of the Turkestan region of Kazakhstan. The scientist reached bright heights in the world of science and education in the middle ages. Traveling to the cities of Central Asia, Persia, and Iraq, Al-Farabi constantly improved his knowledge, met with prominent scientists, thinkers, and poets of his time. The scientist left a rich scientific legacy - more than 200 treatises covering philosophy, logic, ethics, metaphysics, linguistics, natural science, geography, mathematics, medicine, music, and many other fields.
Al-Farabi made a huge contribution to the development of mathematics, astronomy, physics and natural science. He divided science into 5 major branches: linguistics, methodology, mathematics, physics, and the science of citizenship. An outstanding thinker, he raised the subject of the development of spirituality not only in his works on philosophy but also in music and many other fields. In the legacy of the scientist, you can often find his reflections, observations and research on the topic of the human soul. Along with this, he devoted much time to the study of such virtues as mercy, beneficence, morality, humanity, religiosity, and holiness. This is the subject of his works: "Khauas", "Úsh quıý", "Ádіlet", "Shapaǵat", "Já ýan márelіk". Al-Farabi’s themes are often found in Abai’s works, in particular in his "Words of edification". Both philosophers attached great importance to the knowledge of the human soul, the concept of "soul" and left descendants on this topic a lot of their works.
In his treatise on the foundations of natural science (cosmogony), the scientist paid special attention to the categories of being. Al-Farabi considers categorical concepts in close connection with things perceived by the senses. Thus, he made a great contribution to the development of medieval medicine and philosophy.
In Kazakhstan, in-depth research on the Abu Nasr al-Farabi heritage began in the 1960s. Scientists Akzhan Mashanov and Kanysh Satpayev were among the first to start this work. In 1975, an international conference was held in Almaty by UNESCO to mark the 1100th anniversary of Abu Nasr Al-Farabi.
Al-Farabi's works devoted to the study of the state, public administration, as well as his social and ethical views are relevant in our time. Today, the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan has a Department of Eastern philosophy and Farabi studies, where they conduct research on dialectics, epistemology and social philosophy of Al-Farabi.
In Almaty, at the KazNU named after the great scientist, opened the center of Farabitology, where the scientific research of the works of Abu Nasr Al-Farabi is conducted.
The Library of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Elbassy houses the works of an outstanding thinker, as well as the research of domestic scientists of Al-Farabi treatises.
Among them is a twenty-volume book that includes the works of Al-Farabi and Ibn Sina, whose authors are T. Gabitov, G. Kurmangaliyeva. Treatises of outstanding scientists of medieval Central Asia were first reflected in the Kazakh language in this anthology.
"Al-Farabi". The book, prepared under the editorship of the Kazakh scientist E. Aryn, includes "Philosophical treatises" of Al-Farabi, recognized as part of the treasury of world literature. It raises topics that have been of concern to humanity for centuries, covering all the main problems of moral and ethical issues of society.
"Selected treatises" by Al-Farabi. Compiled by: A. Nysanbayev, G. Kurmangalieva, Zh. Sandybaev. In addition to the works previously translated from Russian, this publication also includes treatises of the scientist translated from Arabic. Also, the book collection of the Library of Elbassy houses a seven-volume book "Farabi" with treatises of the scientist, published in Kazakh and Russian, as well as one volume in English. The author of this book collection is the President of the International Abai Club, writer Rollan Seisenbaev.