AVICENNA (IBN SINA)
- Era: 980 - 1037
- Location: Uzbekistan ( Southern Russia)
- Categories: RELIGION, SOCIAL SCIENCE
Avicenna was a Muslim philosopher, theologian and scientist of great learning, knowledgeable of previous Islamic scholarship and open to sources from both Graeco-Roman Europe (especially Aristotle) and India. In turn his own writings came to be widely read in European universities. Writing mainly in Arabic or Persian, he emphasised the compatibility of reason with faith in all spheres, including that of medicine which was his major specialism. His multi-volume Canon/Laws of Medicine remained authoritative for more than 500 years. Its prescriptions extend from hygiene to contraception and the treatment of STDs. They show a very practical approach to moral education.
Life and Work
An introduction to Avicenna's life and work from the Routledge Encyclopaedia of Philosophy
The Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy entry on Avicenna
Writings