30 Phil, Chapter 16, Al-Farabi, Touchstone 40: Intellect.
Intellect refers to the ability to reason and understand objectively, particularly with regard to abstract or academic matters. Al-Farabi delineated human understanding into three phases: the potential, actual, and acquired. His insights laid the groundwork for today’s understanding, a roadmap for how our thinking grows over time.
The Potential Intellect is the inherent capacity within us all to absorb and process information, much like an empty library of shelves waiting to be filled with books. The Actual Intellect is the activated potential within us, the process of transforming information into knowledge and understanding. It’s like a library that’s started filling its shelves with books, each one signifying a new concept, fact, or perspective grasped. The Acquired Intellect is the advanced state of understanding where knowledge and insight spring forth from an internal wellspring, echoing a sense of innate wisdom. Imagine a comprehensive library that becomes a center for creating knowledge itself.
