Farabi - 5 6 7 8 Chapters Explained.pdf

Chapter 5 Matter and Form In this chapter, Farabi explains the nature of sublunary existents. The sublunary existents are based on two things: matter (hyle) and form. Matter’s existence is actualized only with form. Form makes the substance into an actual substance. (This is the Aristotelian view concerning physical objects, which contrasts the Atomist understandings.) There are forms which are contrary to each other. One can take the place of other. If one is present, the other is impossible for that matter at that moment. The matter has the capacity to take any form. The same matter can alter from one form to another one. The elements are four in number. They are air, water, earth and fire. They all share the same matter and they have forms which are contrary to each other. A thing has two ways of existence. The deficient way is that, it is with only its matter and it is that species potentially. The perfect way is that, it is with form added to the matter and it is that species actually. For a thing, the form is not given at first. The prime matter strives constantly to gain its form. That is a state of potentiality. From that state it rises gradually to become actualized finally.

Chapter 6 The Worlds below and above the Moon In this chapter, Farabi gives an order of existents and explains some foundations about the immaterial entities above. From the least valuable to the most excellent, the order of sublunary existents is: 

The common prime matter



The elements



The minerals



The plants



The animals which lack speech and thought



The animals which are endowed with speech and thought

From the most excellent to the least, the order of the First and the other nineteen superlunary existents is: 

The First



Those which are neither bodies nor in bodies, which are separate and immaterial (from the Second to the Eleventh existent) - ten in number



The celestial bodies (from the First Heaven to the ninth) - nine in number

The ten separate and immaterial entities are unique in their existence and rank, since otherwise they would need things by which they distinguish themselves from the others in order to be different things rather than only one and that thing, by which they are distinguished, would make their existence specified in that case also. Also they do not have contraries, since contrast requires something in common and they do not have matter, which would be common among them. For the same reason, they do not share species with other individuals, since individuals share the same form with changing distinguished matter. Each one of the ten intelligizes its own essence. None is sufficient in itself to attain excellent existence by thinking its own essence only. They attain excellent existence

by intelligizing the essence of the First cause together with their own essence. The joy they feel by intelligizing the essence of the First cause increases with the distance between them and the First cause, compared to the joy they feel by intelligizing their own essence. The First is the first object of love and affection for them.

Chapter 7 The Celestial Bodies In this chapter, Farabi explains the nature of celestial bodies and the nature of their relations to each other and to any particular thing. There are nine spheres which surround nine systems. The first one contains one body with one motion. The second one contains many bodies with a common motion which is two motions. Each of the rest is only one body with alternating motions. (These are based on astronomical observations of Farabi’s day. The second one has the stars. The only observable motion for them was their motion through night and day. However, as we know, that is the rotation of Earth itself.) The bodies share the same genus and they are the only individuals in their species. They also share the same genus with sublunary existents, since they have substratum and form. Unlike the earthly forms, their forms are unique and do not have any contrary. That makes them different than the sublunary existents in a way that they can intelligize. The form of these celestial bodies is actual intellect. The celestial body with its form, which is actual intellect, intelligizes the immaterial separate intellect associated with it and also the First. It also intelligizes its substratum, which is not intellect but only an intelligible. That is something common with the man, since man’s substratum is also so. However that gives the celestial body a difference from immaterial intellects and the First. The celestial body feels joy from thinking the First, thinking the intellect associated with it, which is the immediate cause for its existence, and thinking its own essence.

The celestial body is the most perfect in what it shares with the material existents. Its shape (sphericality), its visible quality (light) and most excellent motion (circularity) are the most perfect they can be. However, the celestial body has an imperfection yet and that is the place of its parts. Any point on it is at a certain place at a certain moment. That certain place has no superiority over other possible places. This equality between different positions and the desire of fulfilling all possibilities of the sphere in order to become more like the immaterial things will lead the sphere to have a perpetual motion. This motion will keep all points in every possible place they can be at, though by succession in time. By this motion, the sphere’s relation to what is under it keeps changing. That relation is the most inferior property of a thing. Each of the spheres has unique motions to it that differs for its speed. Also, their positions differ and the distance of any one of them from the neighboring sphere differs. That is the accidental property of them which makes them fast at times and slow at times. The sphere of Saturn is so, it has an alternating speed around the earth, but the lunar sphere has a constant speed. This is all because of the different accidental properties of them. (Since Saturn is a planet of Sun, revolving around it, geocentric models had problems for explaining motions of things like Saturn. The orbits and speed of its motion cannot be described by simple explanations and formulations. The moon, however, since it revolves around Earth, was observed to have its motion with a constant speed.) The celestial bodies come together and sometimes separate, and also they come near some bodies on the lower level and sometimes recede over them. Moreover, all celestial bodies move round in a circular motion in one day and night and this is by the motion of the first body. (That is how they interpreted their observations of the rotation of Earth.) At the end, the celestial bodies have relations to each other and have relations to one particular thing altogether. These relations keep changing from one contrary to another. Some of these changes repeat themselves and come to where they started and some never repeat itself.

Chapter 8 Becoming In this chapter, Farabi speaks about how the sublunary things become from the celestial beings and about what their natures are. From what is told up until now, some things are necessary in the sublunary world because of things about the celestial bodies: 

The existence of prime matter (hyle) - from the common nature between the celestial bodies



Bodies with differing substances - from the difference of the substances of the celestial bodies



Forms which are contrary to each other - from the contrariety of the relations between the celestial bodies



Alternation of the forms received by the prime matter (hyle) in succession from the alternation of contrary relations between the celestial bodies



Mixtures of contrary forms - from the relations of the celestial bodies to one particular thing

From the classes of different mixtures many species of bodies arise. From their repeating relations, things which repeat themselves and come back, and from their non-repeating relations, things which arise once and never repeat again arise. First to arise are the elements. Then, things of their genus arise. In the elements and in the things of their genus some powers arise: 

Powers by which they move towards things whose nature caused them to be



Powers by which they act upon one another



Powers by which they receive actions of each other and actions of the celestial bodies

From the combinations of the activities of these powers arise many kinds of blends and mixtures. From these, existences of all the other bodies stem. Mixtures can be mixed with each other or with elements to be made into another level of mixtures. In

every mixture, different powers will arise. In an ascending order of different levels of mixtures: 

first come the minerals,



then the plants,



then the animals without speech and thought,



then man, which is the animal with speech and thought.

Powers, which come by for a mixture of any complexity, will lead to actions. There are three objects of action, those which are acted upon frequently, those which are acted upon rarely and those which are acted upon equally. Likely, there are three kinds of acting agents on something, those which act upon frequently, those which act upon rarely and those which act upon equally. These actions of each upon each are either of opposing or assisting. Also there are actions of the celestial bodies upon each of them. A certain celestial body’s action upon a particular thing is at times assisting and at times opposing. From the combination of these actions arise other mixtures. This is how the things below the celestial bodies become.