Ibn Miskawayh

Abū ʿAlī Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Yaʿqūb Miskawayh al-Rāzī, known as Ibn Miskuyah, was a Persian chancery official of the Buyid era, and a philosopher and historian from Parandak, Iran. Born in 932, he lived during the Islamic Golden Age and passed away in 1030. As a Neoplatonist, his influence on Islamic philosophy is primarily in the area of ethics. He authored the first major Islamic work on philosophical ethics, 'Refinement of Character' (Tahdhīb al-Akhlāq), which focused on practical ethics, conduct, and the refinement of character. Miskawayh distinguished between personal ethics and the public realm, contrasting the liberating nature of reason with the deceptive nature of instinct. He was a significant figure in the intellectual and cultural life of his time. He served as a secretary to several viziers, including Muhallabi and Abu 'l-Fadl ibn al-'Amid, and was fluent in Middle Persian, translating pre-Islamic texts into Arabic. He also played a role in preserving the Library of Rey.