The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Kindi, Abu Yusuf Ya'kub Ibn Ishak Al-

KINDI, kēn'dē, ALCHINDIUS, ăl-kĭn'-dĭ-ŭs, Abu Yusuf Ya'kub Ibn Ishak Al-Kindi, Arabian philosopher of the 9th century; b. Kufa and educated at Basra and Bagdad. He came of good family and received the best of instruction through the efforts of his father who was Governor under two famous Arabian rulers, Mahdi (775-85) and Harun al-Rashid (789-809). He was a very prolific writer and is credited with having written over 200 treatises on philosophy and science, over the whole field of which as known in his day he wandered. He was a very clever and original thinker and even to-day, after a lapse of nearly 1,000 years, his name stands high among the Arabs. Many of his works are now only a name, having long since been lost; yet some relating principally to astrology and medicine, remain to attest his worth as a philosopher and original thinker. Probably numbers of his works disappeared when his library was seized, during the reign of Motawakkil (847-61). Consult De Boer, ‘Geschichte der Philosophie im Islam’ (Stuttgart 1901); Flügel, ‘Al Kindi genannt der Philosoph der Araber’ (Leipzig 1857); Nagy, ‘Die philosophischen Abhandlungen des al-kindi’ (Münster 1897).