The Role of Plato's Republic in Naṣīr al-Dīn Ṭūsī's Political Thought

Naṣīr al-Dīn Ṭūsī (d. 672/1274) stands as a theological architect of both Ismaili and Twelver Shiism, the reviver of Avicennian philosophical thought, and the founder of his own political and ethical school. While many works have been published on his role in Shiite theology and Avicennian thought, little has been produced on the influence of his political thought. Furthermore, little has been done on the role of Plato’s Republic on Ṭūsī’s political thought. The last study conducted on Ṭūsī’s political thought was G.M. Wickens' translation of Ṭūsī’s Nasirean Ethics (Ar. Akhlaq-e-Nasirī) published in 1964. However, since this translation, new studies on Ṭūsī’s political thought have seldom been produced.  This paper examines Ṭūsī’s political thought from the perspective of Plato’s Republic and commentaries on it that entered into the Islamic world.