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Questions and Answers
What is the full name of Avicenna?
What is the full name of Avicenna?
Abū ‘Alī al-Husayn ibn 'Abd Allāh ibn Sīnā
Where was Avicenna born?
Where was Avicenna born?
near Bukhara, Iran
When did Avicenna die?
When did Avicenna die?
1037
What were Avicenna's main contributions to the intellectual world?
What were Avicenna's main contributions to the intellectual world?
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What is the name of Avicenna's vast philosophical and scientific encyclopedia?
What is the name of Avicenna's vast philosophical and scientific encyclopedia?
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Which of Avicenna's works is widely recognized as one of the most famous books in the history of medicine?
Which of Avicenna's works is widely recognized as one of the most famous books in the history of medicine?
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Avicenna was the first Islamic philosopher to introduce Aristotelian Logic to the Islamic world.
Avicenna was the first Islamic philosopher to introduce Aristotelian Logic to the Islamic world.
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Who is considered the first Islamic Peripatetic philosopher?
Who is considered the first Islamic Peripatetic philosopher?
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According to Edward G. Browne, Avicenna excelled more in philosophy than in medicine, whereas Rhazes was a better physician than philosopher.
According to Edward G. Browne, Avicenna excelled more in philosophy than in medicine, whereas Rhazes was a better physician than philosopher.
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What was the cultural context during the time of Avicenna and Rhazes?
What was the cultural context during the time of Avicenna and Rhazes?
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The cultural beliefs of the early Muslim community (ummah) were very similar to those of the 20th-century West.
The cultural beliefs of the early Muslim community (ummah) were very similar to those of the 20th-century West.
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What was the dominant perspective on the world during the time of Avicenna and Rhazes?
What was the dominant perspective on the world during the time of Avicenna and Rhazes?
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What is the term for the 'necessity Being' from whom emanated the 10 intelligences?
What is the term for the 'necessity Being' from whom emanated the 10 intelligences?
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The First Intelligence was directly responsible for communicating to humans through its divine light.
The First Intelligence was directly responsible for communicating to humans through its divine light.
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What is the name of Avicenna's most important philosophical work?
What is the name of Avicenna's most important philosophical work?
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Which of these is NOT included in the eight principal sciences discussed in the physics section of Kitāb al-shifā'?
Which of these is NOT included in the eight principal sciences discussed in the physics section of Kitāb al-shifā'?
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Avicenna viewed logic as essential to philosophy, considering it a science and an art.
Avicenna viewed logic as essential to philosophy, considering it a science and an art.
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Avicenna's philosophical views were entirely aligned with the Peripatetic school of Baghdad, emphasizing logic and reason as the primary tools for acquiring knowledge.
Avicenna's philosophical views were entirely aligned with the Peripatetic school of Baghdad, emphasizing logic and reason as the primary tools for acquiring knowledge.
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Which of these is NOT included in the four principal sciences of mathematics according to Avicenna?
Which of these is NOT included in the four principal sciences of mathematics according to Avicenna?
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Avicenna totally rejected the concept of transmutationism in alchemy.
Avicenna totally rejected the concept of transmutationism in alchemy.
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What did Avicenna consider to be the most important source for medicine in medieval Europe?
What did Avicenna consider to be the most important source for medicine in medieval Europe?
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The Canon of Medicine is divided into four books, each focusing on a specific aspect of medicine.
The Canon of Medicine is divided into four books, each focusing on a specific aspect of medicine.
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Which of these is NOT a treatise in the first book of the Canon of Medicine?
Which of these is NOT a treatise in the first book of the Canon of Medicine?
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What is the focus of the second book of the Canon of Medicine?
What is the focus of the second book of the Canon of Medicine?
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What is the name of the Greek physician whose treatment of spinal deformities Avicenna followed and refined?
What is the name of the Greek physician whose treatment of spinal deformities Avicenna followed and refined?
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Which Greek physician and surgeon is credited with refining Hippocrates' treatment of spinal deformities?
Which Greek physician and surgeon is credited with refining Hippocrates' treatment of spinal deformities?
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Avicenna's suggestion of using wine as a wound dressing was not widely accepted in medieval Europe.
Avicenna's suggestion of using wine as a wound dressing was not widely accepted in medieval Europe.
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What condition did Avicenna accurately correlate with the sweet taste of urine?
What condition did Avicenna accurately correlate with the sweet taste of urine?
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Avicenna's philosophical contributions were easily incorporated into medieval European Scholastic thought.
Avicenna's philosophical contributions were easily incorporated into medieval European Scholastic thought.
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What makes Avicenna stand out as one of the greatest intellects since Aristotle?
What makes Avicenna stand out as one of the greatest intellects since Aristotle?
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Avicenna's The Canon was immediately accepted by Renaissance instructors without any criticism.
Avicenna's The Canon was immediately accepted by Renaissance instructors without any criticism.
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Avicenna's work was praised by all, even his critics.
Avicenna's work was praised by all, even his critics.
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What did Sir William Osler, a Canadian physician, describe Avicenna as?
What did Sir William Osler, a Canadian physician, describe Avicenna as?
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Sir William Osler considered Avicenna to be solely a physician, not a statesman, teacher, philosopher, or literary man.
Sir William Osler considered Avicenna to be solely a physician, not a statesman, teacher, philosopher, or literary man.
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What is Antony Flew's assessment of Avicenna?
What is Antony Flew's assessment of Avicenna?
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Study Notes
Avicenna (Ibn Sina)
- Born in 980 near Bukhara, Iran (now Uzbekistan), died in 1037 in Hamadan, Iran
- Prominent Muslim physician and philosopher-scientist of the medieval Islamic world
- Known for significant contributions to medicine and Aristotelian philosophy
- Wrote Kitāb al-shifā (Book of the Cure), a vast philosophical and scientific compendium
- Wrote Al-Qānūn fi al-țibb (The Canon of Medicine), a highly influential medical text
- Avicenna's work built upon the intellectual foundations laid by previous Islamic scholars like Ibn al-Muqaffa, Al-Kindī, and al-Fārābī
Influence in Philosophy and Science
- 1919-1920, British Orientalist Edward G. Browne argued Avicenna was a better philosopher than physician, while Rhazes was a better physician.
- Avicenna lived during the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258)
- His worldview was theocentric (centered on God), unlike a later anthropocentric view
- His cosmology unified natural, supernatural, and preternatural realms, with God as the Creator and First Cause
- Avicenna's cosmology featured 10 intelligences emanating from God, with immutable essence and existence
Influence in Medicine
- Despite Rhazes' contributions, Avicenna's medical work was highly influential in Europe until the 17th century
- Al-Qānūn fi al-țibb (The Canon of Medicine) became a standard medical text in Europe
- His categorisation of diseases, medical knowledge, and techniques were well-organized and clear
- He used and further developed Greek medical knowledge
- Avicenna's work on spinal deformities and treatments was influential in later medical traditions
Avicenna's Works
- Kitāb al-shifā (Book of the Cure): a four-part encyclopaedia encompassing logic, physics, mathematics, and metaphysics
- In Kitāb al-shifā, nature was discussed via eight principal sciences, including celestial and terrestrial bodies, primary elements, and related sciences.
- Al-Qānūn fi al-țibb (The Canon of Medicine): contains treatments, diseases and detailed discussion about drugs and simple/compound therapies, offering a comprehensive overview of Galen's humoral theory
- He also described spinal deformities and treatments, and further developed and refined Galen's concepts on humors.
Assessment of Avicenna
- Described as "one of the greatest thinkers ever to write in Arabic" by Antony Flew
- Important figure in both the Islamic world and Europe
- Significant influence on 17th century European medical schools
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Description
Explore the life and contributions of Avicenna, a notable Muslim physician and philosopher-scientist from the medieval Islamic world. This quiz covers his influential texts, including The Canon of Medicine, and his impact on both philosophy and science during the Abbasid Caliphate.
