Ibn as One of the Most Memorable Philosophers of the Medieval Ages - Research Paper Example

?Ibn-Sina Number Semester Year PSID Ibn-Sina Abu ‘Ali al-Husayn ibn Sina, “Avicenna” as he is best known in Europe is one of the most significant philosopher of Islamic tradition. He is regarded by many as the most influential philosopher of the medieval era (Khan 2). He was born in the 1980s in Bukhara, South Asia, which was then a leading city in the Persia. He is best known by many as a physician, and polymath. Avicenna grew up in the most difficult period marred by great political instability. Heath (9) indicates that Iran was initially ruled by the Samanid dynasty. The Samanid dynasty ruled so well until the 10th century when it began weakening. As such, by the time Avicenna was born, Nuh ibn Mansur had taken over Sultan in Bukhara, though he was struggling to maintain control of the empire. Ibn Sina was lucky to come from one of the influential families in the country. At the time of his birth, his father was the governor of the village. As a result, he was able to receive good education with the help of his father. He was also lucky to have grown up alongside some of the most learned people in the country. His biography indicates that Ibn Sina was a very clever child right from his childhood (Khan 3). At the age of ten, he was not only able to memorize and recite the Quran, but was also able to memorize most of the Arabic poetry. At only thirteen years of age, Ibn Sina began studying medicine. To the amazement of many, he was able to begin treating patients after just three years of his study. Apart from medicine, he also studied metaphysics and logic, being taught by some of the best lecturers of his time (Goodman 3). However, being passionate of knowledge, he was able to further his studies on all areas on his own. In his autobiography, we learn that Ibn Sina was mostly self-taught even though he also received help from others at crucial times. Ibn Sina remained unknown to many for a very long time. It is reported that his knowledge and skills in medicine is what made him known to the public. In this regard, Goodman (4) shows that his skills in medicine made him receive recognition from Samanid ruler Nuh Ibn Mansur and the rest of the nation. His medicine publications immediately proved of great value to the nation and the beyond. For example, his first major work, the canon (al-Qanun fi’l-Tibb), was adopted by many universities in Europe as a medical textbook (Heath 23). Like in the European countries, the Islamic world also used the canon as a medical textbook until the early modern period. After the success of his first major work, the canon, Ibn Sina came up with another publication, the Cure (al-Shifa’), which also had a huge influence upon European scholars of the time, like Thomas Aquinas. As a metaphysical philosopher of being, Ibn Sina was a philosopher with a lot of interest in understanding his existence in the world with regard to his contingency (Janssens 31). In fact, his philosophies were mainly rooted in trying to build a coherent and comprehensive system that conforms with the religious exigencies of the Islamic culture. It is for this reason that many people regard him as the first major Islamic philosopher. The most evident is his philosophical articulation of God as the Necessary Existence, from which his theory of the soul, cosmos, and intellect is based (Khan 14). In addition, Ibn Sina articulated a development in the philosophical enterprise in Islamic tradition, as opposed to apologetic issues of concern for building the relationship between philosophy and religion in an attempt to make a philosophical sense of key religious doctrines, as well as analyze and interpret the Quran (Goodman 6). Several researches have been conducted in the recent past in an attempt to locate Ibn Sina within the Neoplatonic and Aristotelian tradition. However, Ibn Sina strongly rejected the pre-existent theory, despite accepting Neoplatonic epistemology. In Islamic sciences, Avicenna wrote several short stories commenting on the selected verses of the Quran and chapters that shows hermeneutical techniques of a trained philosopher. Avicenna’s philosophy had a huge influence in the medieval Europe and the Islamic world. His major achievement was particularly propounded on his philosophically defensive system grounded in the Islamic theology. It is reported that his influence in the Islamic world was immediate and led to “la pandemie avicennienne,” as Michot would call it (Heath 27). For instance, it was evident that when Shahratani narrated the doctrines of the Islamic philosophers, he relied mainly on Ibn Sina. In fact, Avicenna’s metaphysics is reported to have formed the foundation for any discussion regarding the Islamic theology and philosophy. During the early modern period in Iran, for example, people began displaying Avicenna’s metaphysical position that they had to undergo due to the Isfahan school of thought-Mulla Sadra, in particular (Khan 21). Ibn Sina also had a massive influence on the Latin West through his metaphysics and theory of the soul. It is reported that his metaphysics and theory of the soul impacted largely on the scholarly arguments of the time, in which his views formed the basis for significant arguments and debate. In fact, only two generations after him, many scholars still believe that no serious Muslim thinker can afford to ignore the works of Ibn Sina. This is because Avicenna is regarded as the Islamic representative of philosophy, notes Janssens (44). In fact, Avicenna thought were also critically distilled with the numinous insights in the later Iranian tradition. It is for this reason that he became known as a mystical thinker. The logic is regarded as one of the most critical aspects of Ibn Sina’s philosophy. His logical philosophy is based on the late Neo-Platonism curriculum, consisting of nine books, starting with Porphyry Isagoge version. When asked whether the debate regarding whether logic, which he is referring to is an instrument of philosophy or just part of philosophy, Ibn Sina, was quick to caution that the debate is not only futile in his view, but also meaningless (Goodman 49). In this regard, it can be argued that his metaphysical approach must have been based on his views on logic. In The Cure, one of his most famous works, Ibn Siba claimed that both the metaphysics and logic share concerns as regards the study of secondary intelligible (ma‘qulat thaniya), as well as abstract concepts such as time and existence, which are derived from animality and humanity, according to Janssens (62). We also learn that from al-Farabi, Ibn Sina inherited the Neoplatonic emanationist scheme of existence. As opposed to most classical Islamic theologians, Avicenna strongly rejected creation ex nihilo claiming that the cosmos do not have a beginning, but is instead a natural logical product of God (Heath 33). Additionally, Avicenna is famous for his proof of the existence of God through his literary works. In one of his literary works, Avicenna was able to convince a majority of the non-believers that God truly exist. The proof of the existence of God is a good example of deployment of a philosopher’s intellect for theological purposes. According to Goodman (51), the most comprehensive argument regarding the existence of God by Avicenna occurs in his Metaphysics section of al-Shifa. Certainly, Ibn is one of the most memorable philosophers of the medieval ages. His legacy and works will most likely be used as a reference point, both in academic and human life. In fact, as some scholars once suggested, no serious Muslim can afford to ignore Ibn Sina’s philosophies. Works Cited Goodman, Lenn E. Avicenna. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013. Print. Heath, Peter. With a Translation of the Book of the Prophet Muhammad's Ascent to Heaven. Hoboken, NJ: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011. Print. Janssens, Jules L. An Annotated Bibliography on Ibn Sina (1970-1989): Including Arabic and Persian Publications and Turkish and Russian References, Volume 1. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Leuven University Press, 1991. Print. Khan, Aisha. Avicenna (Ibn Sina): Muslim Physician and Philosopher of the Eleventh Century. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2006. Print. Read More