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The Physics of The Healing: A Parallel English-Arabic Text in Two Volumes
Avicenna’s Physics is the very first volume that he wrote when he began his monumental encyclopedia of science and philosophy, TheHealing. Avicenna’s reasons for beginning with Physics are numerous: it offers up the principles needed to understand such special natural sciences as psychology; it sets up many of the problems that take center stage in his Metaphysics; and it provides concrete examples of many of the abstract analytical tools that he would develop later in Logic.
While Avicenna’s Physics roughly follows the thought of Aristotle’s Physics, with its emphasis on natural causes, the nature of motion, and the conditions necessary for motion, the work is hardly derivative. It represents arguably the most brilliant mind of late antiquity grappling with and rethinking the entire tradition of natural philosophy inherited from the Greeks as well as the physical thought of Muslim speculative theologians. As such, Physics is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding Avicenna’s complete philosophical system, the history of science, or the history of ideas.
While Avicenna’s Physics roughly follows the thought of Aristotle’s Physics, with its emphasis on natural causes, the nature of motion, and the conditions necessary for motion, the work is hardly derivative. It represents arguably the most brilliant mind of late antiquity grappling with and rethinking the entire tradition of natural philosophy inherited from the Greeks as well as the physical thought of Muslim speculative theologians. As such, Physics is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding Avicenna’s complete philosophical system, the history of science, or the history of ideas.
- GenresPhilosophy
1172 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2009
7 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Avicenna
315 books890 followers(Arabic: ابن سينا)
(Persian: ابوعلی سینا، پورسینا)
(Greek: Aβιτζιανός, Avitzianós)
Europeans used Canon of Medicine , a standard textbook of noted Persian physician and Neoplatonist philosopher Avicenna, also ibn Sina, fully named Abu Ali al-Husain ibn Abdullah ibn Sina, until the 17th century.
Abū ‘Alī al-Ḥusayn ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Sīnā, known more commonly as Pour Sina but mostly in English under Avicenna, his Latinized name, a foremost polymath of his time, originated. He also qualifies as an astronomer, chemist, geologist, Hafiz, logician, paleontologist, mathematician, Maktab teacher, physicist, poet, and scientist.
Ibn Sīnā studied under a named Koushyar. He wrote almost four hundred fifty treatises on a wide range of subjects; two hundred forty works survive. His most famous works include The Book of Healing , a vast scientific encyclopedia at many medieval universities. The universities of Montpellier and Louvain used his books as late as 1650.
Ibn Sīnā provides a complete system according to the principles of Galen and Hippocrates.
(Persian: ابوعلی سینا، پورسینا)
(Greek: Aβιτζιανός, Avitzianós)
Europeans used Canon of Medicine , a standard textbook of noted Persian physician and Neoplatonist philosopher Avicenna, also ibn Sina, fully named Abu Ali al-Husain ibn Abdullah ibn Sina, until the 17th century.
Abū ‘Alī al-Ḥusayn ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Sīnā, known more commonly as Pour Sina but mostly in English under Avicenna, his Latinized name, a foremost polymath of his time, originated. He also qualifies as an astronomer, chemist, geologist, Hafiz, logician, paleontologist, mathematician, Maktab teacher, physicist, poet, and scientist.
Ibn Sīnā studied under a named Koushyar. He wrote almost four hundred fifty treatises on a wide range of subjects; two hundred forty works survive. His most famous works include The Book of Healing , a vast scientific encyclopedia at many medieval universities. The universities of Montpellier and Louvain used his books as late as 1650.
Ibn Sīnā provides a complete system according to the principles of Galen and Hippocrates.
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May 12, 2015
For its time I can imagine that the book was awesome in the manner in which it used the theories of the Greeks as a springboard for truly original thought. When reading this book the reader will easily be able to point out the theories which are no longer relevant, but none-the-less this book is an excruciatingly slow read, and I personally found myself taking a lot of notes. This problem is compounded at a few areas in this book where it becomes difficult to imagine the concept being described in one's mind... this is something even McGinnis admits in the footnotes and does his best to assist the reader through various means in those spots (which is an effort which I must commend and thank him for).
As a note to those who are seriously considering reading this book: Ibn-Sina seems to place a very heavy emphasis on syllogistic reasoning (Premise A + Premise B, Therefore Conclusion C) and by this effect he seems to be repeating at points what he has said earlier which can feel redundant but when I realized this it made it easier to think of the basic premise he was building from - to further extrapolate what he was proposing or concluding at the points which perplexed me.
In conclusion, I think that even though one could read a book which summarizes Ibn-Sina's works, such as "Avicenna: His Life and Works" by Soheil M. Afnan, it is much more fruitful to oneself read Ibn-Sina's works as summaries which I have come across seem to rightly point out the Greek or other philosopher who may have inspired a meditation or stream of thought, but seem to ignore original contributions by Ibn-Sina, which isn't a fair treatment in my opinion. This book is meant to complement his "Metaphysics of the Healing," Which I plan on reading soon. Can't Wait!
As a note to those who are seriously considering reading this book: Ibn-Sina seems to place a very heavy emphasis on syllogistic reasoning (Premise A + Premise B, Therefore Conclusion C) and by this effect he seems to be repeating at points what he has said earlier which can feel redundant but when I realized this it made it easier to think of the basic premise he was building from - to further extrapolate what he was proposing or concluding at the points which perplexed me.
In conclusion, I think that even though one could read a book which summarizes Ibn-Sina's works, such as "Avicenna: His Life and Works" by Soheil M. Afnan, it is much more fruitful to oneself read Ibn-Sina's works as summaries which I have come across seem to rightly point out the Greek or other philosopher who may have inspired a meditation or stream of thought, but seem to ignore original contributions by Ibn-Sina, which isn't a fair treatment in my opinion. This book is meant to complement his "Metaphysics of the Healing," Which I plan on reading soon. Can't Wait!
Displaying 1 of 1 review