Avicenna's (Ibn Sina) Natural Philosophy

Ibn Sina, one of the most influential philosophers of the Islamic civilization, discusses his philosophical views with integrity in his book, Kitab al-Shifa (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 Sina and the explanations of previous philosophers specifically Aristotle in her work 'Avicenna's (Ibn Sina) 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 Sina'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.

Auteur

Gülhan Yasar, 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.