Avicenna's Philosophy Handout 02 (Life & Works)

Outline

·      Avicenna’s life 980-1037

o   The social-political context

§  Decentralization of Baghdad and rise of other cities

§  Institutionalized philosophy in Baghdad and non-institutionalized philosophy in its rivals

o   Autobiography and its interpretation

·      Avicenna’s works

o   Main books

§  Shifa (he wrote the list of contents in two days and then complete the book in Hamadan and Isfahan)

·      Logic(9 parts), Physics(8), Mathematics(4) and Metaphysics

§  Al-Isharat and al-tanbihat: the most mature and comprehensive work, and most difficult. (Logic, Physics, Metaphysics, Mysticism-Ethics)

§  Al-Najat (summary of Shifa)

§  Al-Mabda’ wa al-Ma’ad (the Origin and the Return) the result of studying Physics and Metaphysics is the content of the book, i.e. how everything emanated from God, started its journey from matter and ended up to God

§  Al-Mubahathat (the discussions) correspondence (letters) between him and his students, comprising philosophical discussions

§  ‘Uyun al-Hikma, (also known as alMuzaj) (class instructions and lecture notes for Logic, Physics, Theology)

§  Danishnameh Alayi (Logic, Physics, Mathematics and Metaphysics) in Persian, upon the demand of ‘Ala al-dowla, governor of Isfahan

§  Al-Insaf. Its original version that contained 28,000 questions and replies, according to Avicenna’s report, didn’t survive the attack on Isfahan by Mas’ud Ghaznawi

§  Al-Hudud: Definitions; (73 definitions of Reason, Soul, Form, Hyle etc.)

§  Kitab al-siyasa, the book of politics.

§  Hay b. Yaqzan, Risalat al-tayr (allegorical stories)

§  Treaties and epistles on: Love, Secret of Destiny, Happiness,

§  Poems on Medicine, Mysticism

§  The Canon of Medicine (1025) was used as the most authoritative textbook source of medicine in the region and beyond up until the end of 18^th century

·      Introduction, principles and bases of Medicine

·      Simple medicines (not mixed)

·      Diseases of limbs and organs

·      Diseases of the whole body

·      Complicated medicines (mixture)

§  Adwiya qalbiyya, the Hearty Medicines, the primacy of body over mind in analyzing and controlling human behavior.

o    Change of style (to attract different audience)

§  Shifa (expositional)

§  Isharat (Educative)

§  Hay b. Yaqzan (general readers and also mystical pointers)

§  Some poems and esoteric treaties (to attract mystical minds among muslims) 

Excerpts 

Ibn Sina (general information) Inati

Avicenna's Autobiography & its interpretation - Gutas

Links

His Life and Works - Stanford

Ibn Sina - WikiShia