On the Concept of ittisal in Ibn Sina’s Noetics
https://doi.org/10.22311/2074-1529-2025-21-4-161-182
Abstract
The article examines the approach of the foremost philosopher of classical Islam, Ibn Sina (Avicenna; c. 980–1037), to a fundamental epistemological question raised by Aristotle in his treatise “On the Soul” (431b17–19), which did not receive further development in his works: the possibility for the mind, residing in the human body, to conceive the immaterial intelligibiles. The paper explores the Avicenna’s critique of the concept of the union (ittiḥād) of the knower and the known, which by that time had become widespread among the Peripatetics and was usually traced back to the Neoplatonist Porphyry (234?–305? C.E). In this context, the author analyzes the doctrine of the ascent of the Gnostic outlined by the philosopher in his work “Remarks and Admonitions”.
About the Author
N. V. Efremova
Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Natalia V. EFREMOVA, Cand. Sci. (Philos.), senior research fellow, Center for Arab and Islamic Studies
12 Rojdestvenka Str., Moscow, 107031
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Review
For citations:
Efremova N.V. On the Concept of ittisal in Ibn Sina’s Noetics. Islam in the modern world. 2025;21(4):161-182. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22311/2074-1529-2025-21-4-161-182
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