The political philosophy of Plato and Al-Farabi: "The Republic" and "The Virtuous City"

Al-Farabi's political theory is a mixture of Platonic and Aristotelian elements. Man, according to Al-Farabi, is political by nature, and he attains his happiness within the ideal state, as Plato had thought. According to Al-Farabi, society is either perfect or imperfect. Perfect society is of three kinds: the highest, the intermediate, and the lowest. Imperfect society also is of three kinds: the village, the suburb of a city, and the home. Finally, Al-Farabi does not copy from Plato. He never sought to take all of Plato's views and never confined himself to just what he did take from Plato. But no doubt he was influenced by Plato greatly in his interest in politics and with the framework.