A SUMMARY ON THE SOUL – IBN SINA

A Summary On The Soul

MY COMMENTS :

In the work written by Ibn Sina at the beginning of the 11th century, an evaluation of the mind and soul was made and research was conducted far beyond its time.

Although Ibn Sina is often called the "Macchiavelli of the East," it is clear that even this term was coined by Western orientalists, as Machiavelli was born approximately 100 years after Ibn Sina.

From the outset, the author provides important definitions of the mind, soul, senses, and intuition. Human perception methods are detailed, and detailed descriptions demonstrate that the soul exists independently of the human body, a phenomenon rarely seen in other living beings.

The work summarizes the soul's multifaceted examination under ten headings, concisely and comprehensively. Despite the briefness of the topics covered, the author's extensive knowledge and theoretical explanation are evident in every sentence. His narratives, using scientific terminology far ahead of its time, warrant rereading some sections.

However, all the examples and definitions provided in the work clearly convey the intended ultimate message to the reader. These references address the realities inherent in worldly life, which humans can perceive through their eyes and minds. Furthermore, they also discuss an infinite intelligence and consciousness, referred to as the rational mind, that exists independently of human existence. This concept is defined as the human soul, a concept that accompanies the human body and yet continues to exist independently of it.

As can be seen, the work contains significant technical terminology, and the inclusion of these definitions further clarifies the narrative. However, considering the 11th century, it's clear that this is a rather complex book, still containing many valid theories.

In conclusion, the work can be considered as one of the books that people of all ages should definitely read and that was written by one of the thinkers who is more important than the western thinkers.

MY QUOTES(*) :

1. The bonds that bound the elite to the common man would be severed, and the flock's trust in the shepherd would be shattered. The delicate would no longer be able to be strong by the strength of the strong, nor would the lowly rise by the protection and encouragement of the upper class.

2. Whoever fails to know himself is likely to fail to know his Creator. How can anyone considered an authority in a field be trusted when he is still ignorant of his own subject? I have seen more in the Book of God, where He points out the measure of its truth. " They forgot God, so He caused them to forget themselves ." (Surat al-Hashr, verse 19)

3. Spiritual faculties stand out and attract attention in terms of their ordinary and exceptional qualities—in other words, general and specific—as being delimited and determined under three classes or degrees. The first of these, due to the involvement of animals and plants, is known as the vegetal or vegetable power; the second is known as the animal power; and the third is known as the power of speech or rational capacity. Therefore, the primary parts of the soul, when considered from the perspective of their powers, are three in number.

4. A living body is a natural composite structure, distinguished from a nonliving one not by its body but by its soul, and this allows animals to perform a wide variety of actions because of its soul, not its body. It is alive because of its soul, not because of its body, and its soul is within it.

5. Spirited bodies, that is, the possession of souls, if viewed from the vegetable powers, have been found to be of a form common in nutrition but differing in growth and reproduction.

6. The vegetable powers are three in number: 1. Nutrition, 2. Growth, and 3. Reproduction. Of these, nutrition is the starting point; reproduction is the goal and, finally, growth is the connecting point of the beginning to the end.

7. Nature demands a power to produce a living body by stimulating growth, and is endowed by Divine Providence with the power to give growth.

8. Divine Providence has deemed it appropriate to give most animals the power of smell. Of the senses most useful, sight comes next.

9. Divine Providence has deemed it appropriate to grant living beings (animals) the unique capacity for participation (or sense), that is, the power to picture and the power to retain what is remembered, so that they can preserve the forms of objects perceived by the senses. This allows them to grasp the objects perceived by the senses and preserve the meanings they derive from them. It has deemed it appropriate to grant them the power of imagination, so that they can decide what they want to retain or what they want to erase from memory.

10. The power of perception is either external, such as the five senses, or internal, such as the power of imaging, imagining, guessing, and dreaming.

11. This power is to grasp objects grasped by the mind, not with the cooperation of the body, but only by oneself.

12. The power that grasps objects grasped by the mind becomes more powerful in its work as it perceives more complex mental concepts, therefore it does not need a tool in the process of perception and therefore perceives by itself.

13. Anything that does less than the infinite is finite; therefore, the power and sum of each of the two halves are finite, and hence the sum of the two finite ones is itself finite, while it has been claimed to be infinite, which is a contradiction. The rational power, however, is powerful enough to perform many infinite tasks; we see that the geometric, arithmetical, and philosophical forms that the rational power must perform, among other actions, are infinite. Therefore, the rational power is not in the body or waiting; it is therefore its own and is an essence of itself. The decay of one of the two adjacent essences does not follow or participate in the decay of the other. Therefore, the death of the body does not necessarily precede the death of the soul, which is what we wish to demonstrate.

14. Not every judgment we make through our sensory perceptions is applicable, but it may also be that what we do not perceive may differ from what we do perceive.

15. That which attains its Perfector and connects itself to Him is secure against corruption, and moreover, it has not undergone corruption even during the severance of its connection with Him. Therefore, after death, the soul will remain and remain unshakable, connected to that noble essence called the universal intellect—which, in the language of lawgivers, is called Divine Knowledge.

MY EVALUATIONS:

Subject : In the work, an evaluation of the mind and soul was made and research that was far ahead of its time was discussed.

Style: As noted in the comments section, the work contains a theoretical and terminological narrative. Furthermore, the use of short, simple sentences makes the narrative more accessible. The fact that terms that were not fully grasped even in our time were explained with such technical prose at the time clearly demonstrates how far ahead of their time the author was.

Originality : Due to its nature, the work will not be considered in this category. However, it must be stated that it is certainly unusual in that it explores a subject far ahead of its time.

Character : The work will not be evaluated in this category due to its nature.

Fluency : Considering the points raised in the style section, it's clear that the work doesn't intend to emphasize fluidity and immersion. However, it should be noted that the use of such short and simple sentences in a highly technical language allows for the most fluid narrative possible.

General : In the evaluation made out of 10 in accordance with the criteria stated above:

Topic: 9

Style: 8

Fluency: 6

The overall average score for the work, which received 8.7 points, is 7.7 . Considering the work's genre and the theoretical narrative of its subject, a score close to 8 is quite significant, demonstrating the importance of its messages. In this respect, it's definitely worth reading and thoroughly examining.

(*) : All sections under the title My Quotations:

A SUMMARY ON THE SOUL

Author : Ibn Sina

Publisher : Gece Kitaplığı Publishing

Edition : 1st Edition – December 2019

The photo used on the cover was used as a quote from the book.