Substantia, potentia e actus nella filosofia araba

Abstract

The article focuses on the triadic application of the philosophical terminology of substance, potentiality and action in the works of three different Classical Arabic philosophers. It starts from the assumption that the Arabic philosophical tradition is also marked by the influence of late antique philosophy, in which the mentioned triad was prevalent. The investigation focuses on chosen texts from two major representatives of the so-called falāsifa-tradition, namely Abū Nasṛ Muhạ mmad ibn Muhạ mmad Al-Fārābī (ca. 872-950) and Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusain b. ʿAbd Allāh Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna, 980-1037), as well as from their famous critic, Abū Ḥāmid Muhạ mmad b. Muhạ mmad Al-Ghazālī (1058-1111). The analysis shows that the triad played an important role for the first two mentioned authors and especially for the philosopher Avicenna, as it is closely associated with his theory of emanation. Instead, for Al-Ghazālī, the triadic terminology appears only to play a role in his criticisms of the former authors, but does not become an integral part of his own philosophical project.