Ibn Sina’s Classical View of Soul through the Ontological, Epistemological, and Axiological Philosophical Framework, and Its Contemporary Relevance

Abstract

Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Abdullah ibn Sina was one of the great Muslim thinkers and philosophers in the Islamic Golden Era. Narratives of his early life influences that set the stage for his later development and some of his major works are presented. The depiction of soul by Ibn Sina is outlined in comparison to Aristotle, setting the stage for the discussions of his philosophical framework of soul, the ontological, epistemological, and the axiological contexts. Ontologically, the soul is depicted as a form (surah) of the body, claiming the vegetative, animal, and rational faculties. Epistemologically, the soul acquires knowledge through the abstraction process and will experience an ultimate interaction with the Agent or Active Intellect (al-‘aql al- fa’al), ascending from potentiality to actuality. Axiologically, the soul’s value lies in its potential for perfection, ascension towards divine realities via a value-based journey. The contemporary relevance of Ibn Sina’s axiology, ontology, and epistemology framework of the soul to contemporary psychology, particularly offering a distinctive alternative to the dominant paradigms are presented.