For 'Abd al-Latif, Plato and his disciple Aristotle pursue the same purpose and the same end in their philosophical speculation, that is to say, the perfection of man as man, which both identify in knowledge of the truth of things.
For 'Abd al-Latif, as for al-Farabi's Plato, philosophical research begins with an investigation of what constitutes the perfection of man as man, which does not consist of a healthy physique, a pleasant face, noble descent, a large group of friends and lovers; nor does it consist in riches, glory, or power, since none of this is able to make man fully and truly happy.
Or as Oscar Wilde put it, "the true perfection of man lies, not in what man has, but in what man is".
Moreover, he is the apex of perfection in man; perfection that no man will ever reach.
For the Spanish Arab Averroës (Ibn Rushd) in the 12th century, Aristotle was "the measure and model offered by nature to show the ultimate perfection of man".
For him, philosophy is, indeed, crucial for the spiritual perfection of man.
According to Le Grand, the object of ethics is right reason, its end is the perfection of man, and it is an active not a speculative science.
Then 'Abd al-Latif passes to present al-Farabi's Aristotle who holds that the perfection of man sought by Plato is not self-evident or easy to explain by way of a demonstration which leads to certainty.
According to this criterion it is necessary to re-examine completely all the scientific fields already established in the search for that which contributes to the attainment of perfection by man and that which, on the other hand, impedes this search.
