Science of the Soul in Ibn Sina's Pointers and Reminders
A Philological Study
Published on 16. February 2023
Book
Hardback
344 pages
978-90-04-54061-3 (ISBN)
Description
In Science of the Soul in Ibn Sina's Pointers and Reminders, Michael A. Rapoport provides a philological and interpretive guide for critically reading and interpreting Ibn Sina's (Avicenna, d. 1037) most challenging and influential text. Rapoport argues that chapters VII-X of the Pointers present scientific explanations for phenomena related to the human soul - from intellection to divination, magic, and marvels - within the framework of Ibn Sina's Metaphysics of the Rational Soul. This book dispels widespread notions that the Pointers represents Ibn Sina's mystical or Sufi philosophy and therefore stands apart from the rest of his corpus.
More details
Series
Language
Other
English
Place of publication
Leiden
Netherlands
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
696 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-04-54061-3 (9789004540613)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Michael A. Rapoport, Ph.D. (2018), Yale University, is Assistant Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida. His research on Ibn Sina and Arabic philosophy has appeared in Oriens and Nazariyat.
Content
Acknowledgements
Chronology of Ibn Sina's Works
Notes on Sources, Presentation, Transliteration, and Translation
Introduction
?1?Ibn Sina and Mysticism
?2?Metaphysics of the Rational Soul
?3?The Uniqueness of the Pointers
?4?Editions and Translations of the Pointers and Reminders
?5?Objectives, Methodology, and Structure
?6?Overview of Ibn Sina's Internal Faculties
1 The Soul's Independence from the Body
?1?The Rational Soul's Independence from the Body
?2?Intellect and Intelligible Do Not Unite
?3?God's Knowledge of Particulars
?4?Evil and the Order of the Good
?5?Ibn Sina, Optimist
2 The Soul's Ultimate Destination
?1?Internal Pleasures Are Superior to External Pleasures
?2?The Nature of Pleasure and Pain
?3?Awareness of Pleasure and Pain
?4?Pleasure and Pain in the Afterlife
?5?Ranking Beings in Terms of Joy
?6?Returning to the Final Destination
3 The Soul's Intellectual Development
?1?Differentiating Knowers from Non-knowers
?2?The "Stages" (darajat) of the Human Intellect in Relation to Secondary Intelligibles
?3?Knowledge (?irfan) and the Highest Stages
?4?Characteristics of the Knower
?5?A New Metaphor for a Familiar Epistemology
4 The Soul, Science, and the Supernatural
?1?Marvelous Feats
?2?Imaginative Knowledge
?3?Motive Power
?4?Naturalizing the Supernatural
5 Returning to Ibn Sina's Mysticism/Sufism
?1?Non-standard Epistemology
?2?Union with the Divine
?3?The Impossibility of Union for Ibn Sina
Conclusion
?1?If Not Sufism or Mysticism, then What?
?2?Concluding Remarks
Appendix 1: Comparison between Pointers and Ibn Sina's Summae
Appendix 2: Comparison between Pointers and Ibn Sina's Monographs
Bibliography
Index
Chronology of Ibn Sina's Works
Notes on Sources, Presentation, Transliteration, and Translation
Introduction
?1?Ibn Sina and Mysticism
?2?Metaphysics of the Rational Soul
?3?The Uniqueness of the Pointers
?4?Editions and Translations of the Pointers and Reminders
?5?Objectives, Methodology, and Structure
?6?Overview of Ibn Sina's Internal Faculties
1 The Soul's Independence from the Body
?1?The Rational Soul's Independence from the Body
?2?Intellect and Intelligible Do Not Unite
?3?God's Knowledge of Particulars
?4?Evil and the Order of the Good
?5?Ibn Sina, Optimist
2 The Soul's Ultimate Destination
?1?Internal Pleasures Are Superior to External Pleasures
?2?The Nature of Pleasure and Pain
?3?Awareness of Pleasure and Pain
?4?Pleasure and Pain in the Afterlife
?5?Ranking Beings in Terms of Joy
?6?Returning to the Final Destination
3 The Soul's Intellectual Development
?1?Differentiating Knowers from Non-knowers
?2?The "Stages" (darajat) of the Human Intellect in Relation to Secondary Intelligibles
?3?Knowledge (?irfan) and the Highest Stages
?4?Characteristics of the Knower
?5?A New Metaphor for a Familiar Epistemology
4 The Soul, Science, and the Supernatural
?1?Marvelous Feats
?2?Imaginative Knowledge
?3?Motive Power
?4?Naturalizing the Supernatural
5 Returning to Ibn Sina's Mysticism/Sufism
?1?Non-standard Epistemology
?2?Union with the Divine
?3?The Impossibility of Union for Ibn Sina
Conclusion
?1?If Not Sufism or Mysticism, then What?
?2?Concluding Remarks
Appendix 1: Comparison between Pointers and Ibn Sina's Summae
Appendix 2: Comparison between Pointers and Ibn Sina's Monographs
Bibliography
Index