Farabi and Gadamer's Interpretation of Plato's Philosophy225

Farabi elaborates on Plato's philosophy through Aristotle language and method, and uses formal logic in his interpretations, but Gadamer believes that Plato's dialectic philosophy can be understood by nothing but his own dialectic. Farabi is a peripatetic philosopher but, in his works, refers to the difference between Plato's dialectic method and Aristotle formal method. In formulating his new philosophy, Farabi takes into consideration the reconciling thought of Islamic civilization which requires the unity of the basis of philosophical thought. His new division of sciences and the same origin of religiosity and philosophy in his thought refer to this point. Finally, Farabi concludes that Plato and Aristotle's philosophies and methods can be reconciled (gathered together). Contrary to Farabi, however, Gadamer tries to answer the hidden questions which Plato seeks to answer by combining his horizon of thought with text based on hermeneutic question and answer. In his view, text in a stranger that giving question and answer mode to it is its lively status, real dialogue and existential manner. This reference to text necessitates a hermeneutic cycle, but Gadamer believes that hermeneutic cycle is not formal and is free from problems attributed to theoretical methods. Gadamer believes that differences between Aristotle and Plato are the results of former's formal method and way of explanation. Therefore, Gadamer also concludes that Plato and Aristotle's philosophies and methods can be reconciled (gathered together). The present paper shows that Farabi (based on formal method) and Gadamer (based on philosophical hermeneutics) draw the same conclusion, that is, the reconciliation between Plato and Aristotle. No doubt, equalizing Plato and Aristotle views with philosophical interpretations is a rival for merely historical-empirical approaches in which Farabi's philosophy is regarded a combination of Plato and Aristotle views.