Ranggawarsita: Islamic Mysticism in Javanese Culture

Ranggawarsita. Sc: Wikimedia Commons

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All of Western philosophy is but a footnote to Plato

That was said by Alfred Whitehead, himself a great philosopher in his own right. He’s right, though: the gigantic influence of Plato on philosophy is unmistakable, and I might add, not just on Western philosophy, but also on philosophy in general.

Plato’s influence, especially through Plotinus’ Neoplatonism, left a great mark on Islamic philosophy. I think that Filip Holm from Let’s Talk Religion already covered it with incredible depth, so if you’d like to know more about Plato and Plotinus’ influence on Islamic philosophy, I highly encourage you to watch the video I linked above. However, Plato is honoured as a great ethical teacher, as we see in Rumi’s famous Song of the Reed:

Hail, our sweet-thoughted Love—thou that art the physician of all our ills, the remedy of our pride and vainglory…