Ibn Sina (Avicenna)

Known for

The Canon of Medicine, The Book of Healing, Avicennism

Thought

Ibn Sina built an immense philosophical system that systematized and extended Aristotelian and Neoplatonist thought, including a famous "flying man" thought experiment arguing a person could doubt the existence of their own body yet still be certain of their own mind, demonstrating the soul is a distinct, immaterial substance. His medical encyclopedia likewise synthesized Greek, Islamic and Indian medical knowledge into a single systematic authority used for centuries.

Biography

Central Asian polymath who had reportedly mastered the Quran and much of contemporary science and philosophy by his teens, and went on to serve as a physician and administrator to several rulers.

CSS Philosophy paper topics

Major works

• The Canon of Medicine
• The Book of Healing