Ibn Sīnā’s Aristotle

Jules Janssens

doi:10.21071/mijtk.v0i3.10773

Abstract

Ibn Sīnā’s reading of Aristotle is that of an Arabic and Neoplatonized Aristotle, but, above all, critical, as the two commentaries of his Kitāb al-Insāf, i.e., on Lambda 6-10 and the pseudo-Theology, show. Ibn Sīnā read Aristotle’s works only in Arabic translation and was therefore influenced by their very wording. However, as his commentary on Lambda 6-10 shows, he looked at different translations, or even indirect testimonies, as e.g. Themistius’ paraphrase. Moreover, Ibn Sīnā offers a Neoplatonic inspired interpretation of Aristotle’s metaphysics, especially its theology. Such Neoplatonic reading is almost natural if one, as he does, considers the Theology, which mainly offers a paraphrase of Plotinus’ Enneads IV-VI, as a genuine Aristotelian work, even if Ibn Sīnā suspects a manipulation of the text by dishonest people, in all likelihood some Isma‘ilites. Eventually, Ibn Sīnā, despite his great reference for Aristotle, detects some flaws in the latter’s thinking, or, at least, in its very wording. All in all, Ibn Sīnā reveals to be a critical commentator, who considered Aristotle as the father, or even Godfather, of philosophy, but who nevertheless placed the search for truth above all.

Highlights

Ibn Sīnā’s reading of Aristotle is that of an Arabic and Neoplatonized Aristotle, but, above all, critical, as the two commentaries of his Kitāb alInsāf, i.e., on Lambda 6-10 and the pseudo-Theology, show
As for Wisnovsky, he emphasises that Ibn Sīnā is the culmination of one period of synthesis, i.e. the Ammonian synthesis, during which philosophers succeeded in incorporating the larger Neoplatonic project of harmonising Plato with Aristotle, into the smaller Peripatetic project of harmonising Aristotle with himself
It has to be observed that both commentaries deal with the highest parts of metaphysics, i.e. ‘theology’ proper, as articulated by Aristotle, in a ‘limited’ way, in Lambda, and more precisely in Lambda 6–10, and what Gutas has characterised as a ‘metaphysics of the rational soul’, a topic for which Ibn Sīnā could find an ‘Aristotelian’ basis in the ‘Plotinian inspired’ pseudo-Theology.[13]

Summary

Introduction

Ibn Sīnā’s reading of Aristotle is that of an Arabic and Neoplatonized Aristotle, but, above all, critical, as the two commentaries of his Kitāb alInsāf, i.e., on Lambda 6-10 and the pseudo-Theology, show. In what follows I want to detail a few of these affirmations based on an examination of what Ibn Sīnā’s attitude toward Aristotle reveals to be in his Kitāb al-Insāf, namely in the two commentaries on Lambda 6-10 and the pseudo-Theology, with a greater focus on the former than on the latter.

Results

Conclusion