What do you think?
Rate this book
Avicenna: His Life and Works
Avicenna, or Ibn Sina, the tenth-century Persian scientist-philosopher, is beyond doubt the most provocative figure in the history of though. With a wideness of range, a vigour of thought, and a unity if conception unequalled among the philosphists, his thoughts extended far beyond the Eastern lands, giving rise to the most complete philosophical system owed much to his predecessors. Avicenna combined philosphy and medicine with such marked distinction, building an intellectual edifice that could not be surpasses for centuries after him.
251 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1958
20 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 28, 2013
The first two parts are pretty simple to digest. The next seven chapters can be quite sleep-inducing—not because they are boring or poorly written—but because those are the parts where Ibn Sina's works are discussed in greater depth and length, such as problems with logic, problems of metaphysics, problems of psychology and problems of religion. Then the remaining chapters after that are back to historical discussion.
Depending on what kind of books you usually read and what you hope to find from this book, read it with caution, for what you might already know about this scholar may be nothing compared to what you are going to discover, and the discussion on the various subjects are no lightweight matter either.
Depending on what kind of books you usually read and what you hope to find from this book, read it with caution, for what you might already know about this scholar may be nothing compared to what you are going to discover, and the discussion on the various subjects are no lightweight matter either.
January 31, 2019
I just read the biographical part. The intricate details of his system are of no use to me for the time being.
Given his cultural background, i.e. medieval Islamic age, he was a very unorthodox figure. He was secretive, he enjoyed companionship with the brightest minds, he drank wine, he indulged excessively in coitus albeit not married, he sought power and wealth but neither really acquired them. One thing is undoubtful, he was a real genius. He was like the mad scientist of the medieval age.
Despite all of his intellectual achievements, he was just a lonely guy seeking solace in intellectual pursuit. The author quotes a couplet of Avicenna's poem:
"How I wish I could know who I am,
What it is in the world that I seek."
Given his cultural background, i.e. medieval Islamic age, he was a very unorthodox figure. He was secretive, he enjoyed companionship with the brightest minds, he drank wine, he indulged excessively in coitus albeit not married, he sought power and wealth but neither really acquired them. One thing is undoubtful, he was a real genius. He was like the mad scientist of the medieval age.
Despite all of his intellectual achievements, he was just a lonely guy seeking solace in intellectual pursuit. The author quotes a couplet of Avicenna's poem:
"How I wish I could know who I am,
What it is in the world that I seek."
December 8, 2021
Although I believe the discussion went greatly off-topic on some occasions, this book presents a decent introduction with important resources on the life, philosophy, and scientific contributions of Ibn Sina.
Regarded by many as one of humanity's finest intellectual figures, Ibn Sina was undoubtedly a genius at work. His main motivation in Philosophy, as many other Muslim Philosophers, was attempting to find a reconciliation between the inherited rational philosophy of the Greeks and the dogma of revealed religion. "Where do we draw the line of reason in metaphysics?" Although a metaphysician, Ibn Sina was greatly inclined towards logic, attempting to "rationalize" metaphysics and religion; dogma was too much for him to succumb to. This led him to many interesting and controversial conclusions, particularly in metaphysics, and this is where we find abundant criticisms against him. His philosophical influence on the east and the west is unmistakable, and we know the mark of Ibn Sina when we see it.
Although heavily criticized by theologians and philosophers (the best examples here would be Al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd; the latter claimed that Ibn Sina misrepresented the first master), countless philosophers employed many of his ideas and terms without acknowledging his contributions.
In the natural sciences, Ibn Sina was one of the first people to label Alchemy as a pseudo-science unworthy of being pursued, a very rare and bold move in his times. His explanations for some natural phenomena is quite impressive, almost completely matching with the scientific explanations of our times. As for medicine, his Canon speaks for itself.
Although I can rarely agree with his ideas, I find great knowledge and consolation in Ibn Sina. He is a figure that has been widely employed for countless purposes; we find him in abundance in the folklore. Sometimes he appears as a wise sage, others as a drunk atheist who corrupts the youth. I like to believe he was a rational mystic, albeit one that placed too much of an emphasis on human reason. One would be surprised of how disappointing that could be...
The clash of two great currents of thought leads to an immediate attempt of reconciliation.
In the great war of ideas, minds succumb mid-fight. Amidst the ruins, under the fallen minds of great figures, and on some very rare occasions in history, a mind rises in confusion. With fear and desire, it stares at the clash of the titans.
The abyss scares it not, for it is the abyss itself.
The fallen cherish it, conserve it in books, and store it on a shelf.
Where can one stand? Can two hearts fit in a man's chest? Is it either/or, or can we find more?
Regarded by many as one of humanity's finest intellectual figures, Ibn Sina was undoubtedly a genius at work. His main motivation in Philosophy, as many other Muslim Philosophers, was attempting to find a reconciliation between the inherited rational philosophy of the Greeks and the dogma of revealed religion. "Where do we draw the line of reason in metaphysics?" Although a metaphysician, Ibn Sina was greatly inclined towards logic, attempting to "rationalize" metaphysics and religion; dogma was too much for him to succumb to. This led him to many interesting and controversial conclusions, particularly in metaphysics, and this is where we find abundant criticisms against him. His philosophical influence on the east and the west is unmistakable, and we know the mark of Ibn Sina when we see it.
Although heavily criticized by theologians and philosophers (the best examples here would be Al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd; the latter claimed that Ibn Sina misrepresented the first master), countless philosophers employed many of his ideas and terms without acknowledging his contributions.
In the natural sciences, Ibn Sina was one of the first people to label Alchemy as a pseudo-science unworthy of being pursued, a very rare and bold move in his times. His explanations for some natural phenomena is quite impressive, almost completely matching with the scientific explanations of our times. As for medicine, his Canon speaks for itself.
Although I can rarely agree with his ideas, I find great knowledge and consolation in Ibn Sina. He is a figure that has been widely employed for countless purposes; we find him in abundance in the folklore. Sometimes he appears as a wise sage, others as a drunk atheist who corrupts the youth. I like to believe he was a rational mystic, albeit one that placed too much of an emphasis on human reason. One would be surprised of how disappointing that could be...
The clash of two great currents of thought leads to an immediate attempt of reconciliation.
In the great war of ideas, minds succumb mid-fight. Amidst the ruins, under the fallen minds of great figures, and on some very rare occasions in history, a mind rises in confusion. With fear and desire, it stares at the clash of the titans.
The abyss scares it not, for it is the abyss itself.
The fallen cherish it, conserve it in books, and store it on a shelf.
Where can one stand? Can two hearts fit in a man's chest? Is it either/or, or can we find more?
July 22, 2021
Es una buena manera de conocer en resumen las posturas que tomó este pensador, pues aunque en su época fue muy reconocido, su pensamiento no aportó mucho más allá de Aristóteles en el campo filósifico, y hoy día queda obsoleto, en medicina igualmente obsoleto pero ahí si aportó mucho más; en religión parece despreciar el saber islámico a favor de la experiencia mística sufí; el concimiento amplio que desarrolló nos hace pensar más en un renacentista que en un medieval; además el libro muestra el contexto histórico en que se desarrolló, como fue hasta cierto punto tolerado entre los islámicos, y como a su muerte fueron censurados sus escritos, así como el recibimiento en occidente entre fascinación y refutación
December 1, 2022
I was expecting a biography. What I got was nearly 300 pages of Avicenna's philosophical interpretations on various subjects, and, his successors interpretations of Avicenna's interpretations.
This book would be good for those that like these heady discussions. I love philosophy...written by the philosopher....but 300 pages of interpretations was a bit much for me.
This book would be good for those that like these heady discussions. I love philosophy...written by the philosopher....but 300 pages of interpretations was a bit much for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews