L'idée de la sagesse et sa fonction dans la philosophie des 4e et 5e siècles

Abstract

Starting from the Greek definition of philosophy as the love of wisdom, and from the semantic richness of the Arabic wordḥikma, several fourth- and fifth-century writers tried to establish the position of philosophy in the Islamic cultural system by identifying it with wisdom. For them this wisdom is tantamount to the ‘eternal wisdom’ recorded in the ancient books and taught by the prophets. Philosophers are described as the prophets' disciples or witnesses. However, depicting philosophy as eternal wisdom only gives the discipline an illusory advantage. Ultimately it reduces it to pure repetition and therefore precludes any change.