''Politics and Excellence: The Political Philosophy of Alfarabi'' is a 1990 book by the philosopher

Miriam Galston Miriam Galston (born 1946) is an American philosopher and associate professor at The George Washington University Law School. She is known for her research on Farabi and won the Farabi International Award for her book '' Politics and Excellence' ...

. The book was awarded the

Farabi Award The Farabi International Award is given annually by the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to humanities. Farabi Award winners become a member of Iran's National Elites Foun ...

Content

The author develops a theory accounting how Farabi's major political treatises form a coherent

political philosophy Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, l ...

. Galston's research focuses on Farabi's views of the nature of

happiness Happiness, in the context of Mental health, mental or emotional states, is positive or Pleasure, pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishin ...

, the characteristics of ideal rulers, the best kind of government, and the relationship between political theory and theoretical inquiry.

Reception

The book has been reviewed in the ''

Journal of the History of Philosophy The ''Journal of the History of Philosophy'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal. It was established in 1963 after the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association passed a motion to this effect in 1957. The journal is publi ...

'' and the ''

International Journal of Middle East Studies The ''International Journal of Middle East Studies'' is a scholarly journal published by the Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA), a learned society. See also * Middle East Research and Information Project * Association for th ...

''.

References

External links

Politics and Excellence: The Political Philosophy of Alfarabi
1990 non-fiction books Princeton University Press books English-language books Books in political philosophy Works about Al-Farabi {{philo-book-stub