Recent Publication: A Significant Contribution to Contemporary Arab-Islamic Thought
The recent release of the book titled "Dans la philosophie du vivre-ensemble: le projet de paix humaine chez Al-Fârâbî comme modèle" (In the Philosophy of Living Together: Al-Fârâbî's Project of Human Peace as a Model) constitutes a significant contribution to contemporary Arab-Islamic thought. Published as part of the Visions philosophiques collection by Majma' al-Atrash for specialized publishing, it is integrated into a series dedicated to philosophical research.
Author's Background and Inspiration
The book's author, Dr. Hassène Aloui, a renowned Tunisian researcher known for his work on Arab-Islamic philosophy, Farabian thought, and moral and political issues, proposes a novel reading of living together and the principles of "tasâlum al-insânî" (human conciliation). As emphasized by Professor Mohamed Ben Sassi in the preface, the author defends the idea that a genuine humanist sensitivity is already evident in the 10th century, contradicting the position of certain Western researchers, such as Rémi Brague, who reserve humanism for the modern and European era.
The Book's Central Idea
The book begins with a brief phrase that some might believe was uttered by chance by Al-Fârâbî, but do philosophers ever speak by chance? The phrase is: "Humanity is for humans a bond: they must therefore reconcile through humanity." This idea serves as the foundation for the author's exploration of Al-Fârâbî's project of human peace.
Why Al-Fârâbî?
The scarcity of works dedicated to the project of human conciliation (tasâlum al-insânî) in Al-Fârâbî's philosophy encouraged the author to embark on this adventure and address this subject due to its originality. "We consider it legitimate to return to Islamic philosophy, even if some analysts believe that this return has no real usefulness and is the result of excessive interpretation. According to them, such an approach would not contribute to resolving the difficulties of the contemporary world, and Al-Fârâbî's project would not have universal scope. It is precisely in the face of this type of position that the necessity of a critical confrontation imposes itself, in order to demonstrate the legitimacy of reflecting on tasâlum al-insânî in Al-Fârâbî as a philosophical project intended for all humanity, without being limited to narrow or communal divisions."
A New Perspective on Human Conciliation
For the author, certain readings tend to circumscribe any philosophical project with a cosmopolitical-political scope within the framework of Western philosophy, in the image of Kant's project on perpetual peace, or other philosophical projects of the Enlightenment. These, according to him, were not truly turned towards man as such, but rather towards the European man. It becomes necessary, therefore, to re-examine the texts of Arab-Islamic philosophy, particularly those of Al-Fârâbî, who contributed significantly and in deep interaction with their particular cultural environment to the cosmopolitan philosophical heritage.
The Significance of Al-Fârâbî's Philosophy
"We share the opinion of many specialists in Islamic philosophy, according to which the re-reading of Al-Fârâbî today can help resolve several complexities of the contemporary world, better understand the relationships between us and the world, between us and ourselves, and reorganize the confusion reigning in the relationships between philosophy and religious sciences." Among the other reasons for this choice is the proximity of Al-Fârâbî's philosophical vision to the reality of our cities, marked, yesterday as today, by traits of non-conciliation (lat-tasâlum), which it would be tempting to examine from a historical and philosophical angle.
A Long-Undervalued Intellectual Heritage
In the author's opinion, Islamic philosophy has long suffered from a flood of denigrations and underestimations regarding the value of its projects and serious contributions to humanity. It is often reproached for having been concerned only with the conciliation between philosophy and religion, which would make it, according to some, timid or lacking in philosophical audacity. Others reproach it for having only commented on and imitated Greek philosophy, particularly that of Aristotle, without originality.
Redefining the Value of Islamic Philosophy
Such contemporary readings have, according to the author, undervalued Islamic philosophy, reducing it to a simple imitation of Greek or Western thought, considered the exclusive cradle of wisdom. They have thus neglected the founding value of Islamic philosophy, particularly in the field of political thought. However, Al-Fârâbî clearly affirmed the importance of this heritage.
A Response to Criticisms
In the face of depreciative judgments about Islamic philosophy, the author has chosen to make it his field of study, convinced of its intellectual richness and relevance for thinking about contemporary issues. Thus, he responds to discourses that denigrate Islam and the Muslim community, often wrongly associated with violence and terrorism, by recalling that this philosophical tradition carries, on the contrary, values of reason, openness, science, and peace.
Understanding Islam through the Culture of Peace
How, then, can one understand Islam otherwise than through the culture of peace, or, to use Al-Fârâbî's words, through tasâlum, this conciliation that constitutes for humanity the fundamental bond? At the heart of this book, Dr. Hassène Aloui highlights Al-Fârâbî's central idea that there can be no human peace without social bonds based on love, cooperation, and justice. To achieve conciliation (tasâlum), society must unite wisdom, virtue, and action, transforming ethical principles into concrete practices.
