Avicenna’s (Ibn Sīnā) Natural Philosophy

By Gülhan Yaşar

Ibn Sīnā, one of the most influential philosophers of the Islamic civilization, discusses his philosophical views with integrity in his book, Kitāb al-Shifā (Book of Healing). The first book of the second part of the Book of Healing, called The Physic, reveals his detailed philosophy on nature. Although Ibn Sina's philosophy of nature has been extensively analyzed about the concepts of motion, time, and place, there is a need for a comprehensive study that examines this subject from a historical perspective, covering all aspects of it.

The author gives a comparison between the natural philosophy of Ibn Sīnā and the explanations of previous philosophers specifically Aristotle in her work 'Avicenna's (Ibn Sīnā) Natural Philosophy'. The discussion of the natural sciences centers primarily around method and subject, with a dedicated section for defining the term 'nature'. The subsequent sections delve into great detail regarding the causes that impact objects as subjects of the natural sciences, as well as their causal relationships. Since the work is a subject of natural sciences, it is completed with motion; time and place are the primary variables in defining motion.

The work aims to compare Ibn Sīnā's natural philosophy with the views of previous philosophers and highlight the differences. It also explains the evidence and logical system that Ibn Sina used when presenting this philosophy. Our aspiration is that this research will make a meaningful contribution to the disciplines of natural sciences and philosophy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gülhan Yaşar
• Release date: Feb 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224656424

Gülhan Yaşar

Gülhan Yaşar, having grew up in Turkey, is a Molecular Biologist working in the field of History of Science, especially in the history of natural sciences. She participated in scientific studies first at TUBITAK, the most important science center in Turkey, and then at Yale University in the USA during her undergraduate education. She has worked as a Project Manager and Researcher in many projects and her articles have been published in international journals. Due to her interest in the History of Science, she earned a master's degree in History of Science at FSMVU in Istanbul. In this process, she was entitled to receive the postgraduate scholarship of The Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin Research Foundation for the History of Science in Islam. This foundation aims to understand the works of Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin, who is known worldwide for his studies in the field of history of science, and preserve these studies for future generations. In her works, she deals with the important works of the history of natural sciences through basic concepts and aims to convey the interpretations she has reached in the light of contemporary knowledge to the reader in a simple and understandable language.

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Avicenna’s (Ibn Sīnā) Natural Philosophy

As a follower of Aristotle, Ibn Sīnā was influenced by Aristotle's ‘Physics’ when he developed his natural philosophy. He mentioned all aspects of his natural philosophy in the Kitāb al-Shifā (Book of Healing). After its translation into Arabic, this work has been studied and interpreted by many Muslim philosophers such as Farabi, Ibn Bacce, and Ibn Rusd.

The philosophers discussed the explanation of the substance that constitutes a being's first principle to explain change and movement to understand nature. Explaining a natural and existential 'first principle' was at the center of philosophical discussions in the 5th and 6th centuries BC. According to this view, all beings came from a first principle or 'arkhe'. For this reason, there are basic reasons and basic principles that make up the 'beings'. The natural philosophers who dealt with the Arkhe problem are Thales, Anaximandros, and Anaximenes[1]. These philosophers attempted to explain natural phenomena without invoking supernatural forces by referring to natural causes. This first principle that creates existence is accepted as water, aperion, or air according to Tales, Aneksimandros, and Anaximenes[2], respectively. Discussions on arches among Greek philosophers are replaced by discussions on existence in time. It is seen that three philosophers come to the fore from the explanations of existence, which are Heraclitus of Ephesus, Parmenides, and Empedocles.

This first view explaining the motion is expanded by Heraclitus of Ephesus who accepted the changing structure of the universe. Unlike the natural philosophers before him, he does not seek an ‘unchanging being’ that underlies all changes, but instead considers the change itself as the arkhe[3]. Parmenides is the owner of another important explanation of existence in the history of philosophy. According to Parmenides, the hangings perceived in the visible world are illusions and what exists has existed and cannot be destroyed. According to this understanding, which is based on the continuity and uninterruptedness of existence, there is no room for movement and emptiness[4]. These two views are brought together by Empedocles at a common point. According to Empedocles, the combinations formed by the mixing of the basic elements, establish the visible world of existence and the formation of these combinations takes place through movement. Another important pre-Aristotelian explanation of principles comes from the understanding of atomism. According to this understanding, the smallest particles that do not accept division are the basic elements of formation, and particles determine formation and decay. In addition, there is a 'non-existent field' that enables these particles to combine and separate and makes it possible for the particles to move, which is the 'void'[5].

Aristotle's natural philosophy views, which critically handled all these explanations, were also influenced by his teacher Plato. Three things about