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Ibn Sina and the status of moral sentences

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Abstract

There are some texts about moral sentences in the Islamic logical literature especially in the logical books of Ibn Sina that have been interpreted in completely opposite ways. Relying on these texts, some scholars take Ibn Sina to be proposing a non-cognitive theory of ethics and to the contrary some scholars hold that he is a proponent of a sort of moral intuitionism. Reflecting on the alleged textual evidence in Ibn Sina’s books, I propose a middle way in the interpretation that accepts the cognitive status of the moral sentences but at the same time rejects intuitionism.

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Notes

  1. ‘Allamah Hilli, contrary to other scholars, claimed that invalid forms of the syllogism could be legitimately used in dialectic. See Hilli (1363/1984), 236. A possible reason for this view is that if the only purpose in this art is convincing others then this effect can be achieved by an invalid syllogism provided that it is widely accepted.

  2. For a detailed discussion of these premises see Ibn Sina (1984), 119–129.

  3. Tusi (1367/1998), 360.

  4. This distinction can be compared to a modern distinction of the propositions i.e., the distinction between a posteriori and a priori propositions.

  5. Ibn Sina (1404/1983), Vol. 3, mantiq, burhan, 64.

  6. Tusi (1367/1998), 346.

  7. For example see Hilli (1363/1984), 201–212.

  8. Ibn Sina (1404/1983), mantiq, jadal, 27.

  9. Ibn Sina (1404/1983), mantiq, jadal, 42.

  10. Ibn Sina (1404/1983), mantiq, jadal, 82.

  11. Ibn Sina (1404/1983), mantiq, jadal, 83.

  12. In his innovative book called Mantiq al-Mashriqiyyin (Oriental Logic) Ibn Sina took another view and included logic among the philosophical sciences. See Ibn Sina (1910), 6.

  13. Ibn Sina (1404/1983), mantiq, jadal, 83.

  14. Ibn Sina (1404/1983), mantiq, jadal, 83.

  15. As an example see, Hilli (1363/1984), 195–196.

  16. Ibn Sina (1404/1983), mantiq, jadal, 82.

  17. Ibn Sina (1404/1983), mantiq, jadal, 145.

  18. Ibn Sina (1404/1983), mantiq, jadal, preface, 46.

  19. Muslim logicians use the word certain only to refer to those six kinds of propositions that are necessarily accepted, as discussed above, or the conclusions of valid arguments based on them.

  20. For a detailed study of the moral intuitionism of Muslim theologians, see Hourani (1971). For references to some of the differences between Western and Islamic versions of the theory see Javadi (2004).

  21. Ibn Sina (1984), 122.

  22. Isfahani (1372/1993), vol. 5–6, 112–116.

  23. Tabataba’i (1983), 89.

  24. Ibn Sina (1404/1983), mantiq, burhan, 66.

  25. Ibn Sina (1984), 122.

  26. McDowell (2006).

  27. Hilli (1407/1987), 303.

  28. Lahiji (1982), 61.

  29. Sabzavari (1993), 321–322.

  30. Ha’iri (1384/2005), 259.

  31. See his introduction to Lahiji (1982).

  32. Misbah Yazdi (1384/2005), 124.

  33. Ibn Sina (1984), 122.

  34. Ibn Sina (2005), 2; my italics.

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  1. The University of Qom, Qom, Iran

    Mohsen Javadi

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  1. Mohsen Javadi
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Correspondence to Mohsen Javadi.

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This paper has been written in English by the author for publication in this issue of Topoi.

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Javadi, M. Ibn Sina and the status of moral sentences. Topoi 26, 247–254 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11245-007-9013-0

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