Abstract:

In Medieval philosophy, there was a change regarding the place of mechanical arts and crafts in the classification of sciences in the Latin world. This change is associated with Muslim philosophers, especially with the classification of sciences in al-Fārābī’s İḥṣāʾ al-ʿUlūm, which was translated into Latin and influenced the classification literature written in Latin West. It is claimed that the philosophers influenced by Muslim philosophers, especially by al-Fārābī, appreciated the productive arts and crafts as the practical parts of the theoretical sciences, while the philosophers who followed the authentic evaluations of Aristotle criticized this position. In the context of the aforementioned discussion, this study deals with al-Fārābī’s classification of al-ʿulūm al-taʿlimiyya (mathematical sciences) and tries to determine whether the claims on this issue have any basis in his classification. It is concluded that al-Fārābī’s classification is not directly related to the stated views and he is not the direct addressee of the objections. Because, unlike the claims, al-Fārābī did not include the crafts in his classification of sciences and did not position the crafts as the practical parts of the theoretical sciences. In addition, his categorization of al-ʿulūm al-taʿlimiyya is in accordance with the Peripatetic principles in his Kitâb al-Burhân.

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