Art as Cultural Strategy in Farabi's Thought

In articulating his utopia, Farabi allocates a special place to artists. Next to the divine rulers, artists enjoy a rank equal to orators and religious leaders. The following arguments shed light on the reasons for this stratification: 1 – In Farabi’s viewpoint, the public do not have proper understanding of intelligible matters or are not acquainted enough with intelligible happiness. 2 – At the same time, the highest level of happiness is not that of sensational, imaginary or illusive one, rather it is intelligible happiness superior to which is not conceivable. 3 – So, intelligible truths and happiness should be envisaged somehow to/for the people to help them achieve a happy life. Prophets and their successors, i.e. rulers of utopia, who have realized the intelligible truths through their faculty of speech and definite evidences, transfer these truths to people's imagination through imaginary and convincing methods. The artists of the utopia, on the side of the orators, who promote intelligible truths through convincing methods, try to promote rational happiness and the revealed teachings through imagery or imagination. The artists are able to establish relations between different societies and cultures, for they can introduce a constant, unique truth through images and allegories and also can depict revealed happiness in the language of different communities and cultures.