Avicennian Essentialism

Fedor Benevich

doi:10.1080/09608788.2021.2007845

Avicennian Essentialism

Fedor Benevich

School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Essentialism can be defined as a metaphysical theory according to which things have essential and accidental properties. In this paper, I will address Avicennian essentialism, that is, essentialism as we find it in Avicenna’s own writings and the writings of the immediate post-Avicennian philosophical tradition of the Islamic world. I will consider a number of primary sources, summarize the state of recent scholarship regarding Avicennian metaphysics of attributes, and I will draw comparisons between Avicennian essentialism and modern essentialism. As a result, I will show that Avicennians endorse two different types of essentialism: conceptualist essentialism and de re essentialism. Avicennian conceptualist essentialism only applies to kinds, while Avicennian de re essentialism only applies to particular individuals.

Original language	English
Journal	British Journal for the History of Philosophy
Early online date	13 Jan 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/09608788.2021.2007845
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 13 Jan 2022

Keywords

essentialism
Islamic philosophy
Avicenna
medieval metaphysics

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Cite this

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keywords = "essentialism, Islamic philosophy, Avicenna, medieval metaphysics",

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Avicennian Essentialism

Abstract

Keywords

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