Ibn Sīnā’s Practical Philosophy

Document Type : Research Paper

Abstract

This article is a brief review of Ibn Sīnā’s practical philosophy. It begins with a discussion of the Platonic, Aristotelian, and Neo-Platonic influences on Ibn Sīnā’s practical philosophy, as well as the influence of Fārābī and of Islamic religious teachings. The creative synthesis invented by Ibn Sīnā requires a particular view of the relation between religion and philosophy in such a manner that religion shapes the direction of philosophical inquiry, and philosophy opens the way to a more profound and esoteric understanding of religion.

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