Art & Media Studies

A Comparison of Beauty Definition in Farabi and Aquinas's Views; with Emphasis on Perfection Concept

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Assistant Professor, Ferdows Institute of Higher Education

Abstract

Farabi in the context of Islamic philosophy and Aquinas in the context of Christian philosophy both use the concept of "perfection" in the definition of "beauty". This research, using by the library collection, and qualitative analysis method, examines the beauty definitions and the concept of perfection in them. The results of this study shows that the two philosophers are similar in their definition of beauty and its grades. Farabi is more concerned with the concept of "perfection" in the definition of beauty, and instead Aquinas refers to "placent", "fit" and "Clarity" which is not explicitly mentioned in Farabi's definitions. Another important issue is linking beauty with holy trinity by Aquinas, which Farabi does not use in Islamic concepts. Also, while there are references to subjective beauty in Aquinas' philosophy, as a conclusion, we can say that beauty in the view of both philosophers is objective.

Keywords

Aquinas, Thomas, (1905), Of God and His Creatures, trans. Joseph Rickaby, London: Burns and Oates.
Aquinas, Thomas, (1956), On the Truth of the Catholic Faith, 5 Vol, trans. Vernon J. Bourke, New York: Image Books.
Aquinas, Thomas, (1997), "Summa Contra Gentiles", Best Writings of Thomas Aquinas, Vol. 2, Anton C. Pegis (ed.), Indianapolis: Hackett.
Aquinas, Thomas, (2003), On Evil, trans. Richard Regan, ed. Brian Davies, New York: Oxford University Press.
Aquinas, Thomas, (2006), Summa Theologiae, 61 Vol, Latin text and trans. Eric D’Arcy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Eco, Umberto, (1988), The Aesthetics of Thomas Aquinas, trans. Hugh Bredin, Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Maurer, Armand A, (1983), About Beauty: A Thomistic Interpretation, Houston: Center for Thomistic Studies.
Steinberg, Charles Side, (1941), "The Aesthetics of St. Thomas Aquinas", The Philosophical Review, 50 (5), pp.483-497.
Stump, Eleonore, (2005), Aquinas, New York: Routledge.
Tatarkiewicz, Wladyslaw, (1980), A History of Six Ideas: An Essay in Aesthetics, Warszawa: Polish Scientific Publishers.
Tatarkiewicz, Wladyslaw, (2005), History of Aesthetics: Vol. 2 (Medieval Aesthetics), C. Barrett (ed.), New York: Continuum.
 
Art & Media Studies
Volume 1, Issue 2 - Serial Number 2
November 2019
Pages 29-52
  • Receive Date: 13 September 2018
  • Revise Date: 25 November 2018
  • Accept Date: 26 November 2018