The Ladder-Like Process of Thinking and Imagination in Farabi

The relationship between imagination and thinking deserves rigorous scrutiny. For example, one might ask whether the creative acts of the imaginal faculty will lead to reflection and rational perception. Farabi believes that imagination enjoys some graded creativities and has the ability to preserve the images of sensible things, compare and combine them with each other, and create images from other forms and even meanings and concepts. He also maintains that Man can dress intelligibles, meanings, and concepts, whether practical or theoretical, in the robe of imagination and present them to the sense perception of the addressee. After receiving and perceiving them through their senses, the addressees ascend to the level of intelligibles using the ladder of imagination. If these intelligibles are obtained from arguments or revelation, they mirror happiness. As a result, the addressees approximate the station of argumentation or revelation on the ladder of imagination and attain happiness. If universals and concepts such as viciousness, defect, and other vices are imagined, the addressees descend to the level of adversity and wickedness.