A Critique of the Relationship between Authoritarianism and Farabi’s Utopia

The purpose of this study is to analyze the arguments for the authoritarianism in Farabi’s utopia. The most significant arguments by the supporters of this idea were mentioned relying upon three elements of hegemony, utopianism, and violence in Farabi’s utopia. Using an interpretative method, it was attempted to derive the reasonings behind authoritarianism in Farabi’s utopia in order to prove their inaccuracy based on the detailed exegesis of Farab’is texts. The results showed that although there is hegemony in the relationship between the members in Farabi’s utopia, it is not authoritarian. Furthermore, the evidences revealed that his imagined community is free from utopian aspects as he has attempted to present a perfect society in the realm of real time and place not in the world of spiritual essences. Violence in the form mentioned by the supporters of the abovementioned idea has no place in Farabi’s utopia.