István Lánczky Individuation of Material Substances in Avicenna’s Philosophy Prof. Miklós Maróth (supervisor) Pázmány Péter Catholic University Doctoral School for Linguistics (Head of the Doctoral School: Prof. Balázs Surányi) Program “Classical Philology” (Head of the Program: Prof. Miklós Maróth) 2019 Lánczky István Az anyagi szubsztanciák individuációja Avicenna filozófiájában Prof. Maróth Miklós (témavezet ő) Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetem Nyelvészeti Doktori Iskola (Vezet ője: Prof. Surányi Balázs) Klasszika-filológia m űhely (Vezet ője: Prof. Maróth Miklós) 2019 2 Contents 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 6 1.1 Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 7 1.1.1 Theoretical approach ....................................................................................................... 9 1.2 Secondary literature ............................................................................................................... 12 1.2.1 Transliteration ............................................................................................................... 15 2 The Greek tradition ....................................................................................................................... 16 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 16 2.1.1 Terminological outlook ................................................................................................. 16 2.2 Individuals in the logical approach: the second imposition .................................................. 17 2.2.1 Individual as the sixth predicate .................................................................................... 18 2.2.2 Description .................................................................................................................... 24 2.2.3 “Bundle of properties” ................................................................................................... 25 2.3 The metaphysical approach ................................................................................................... 28 2.3.1 Material reading of individuation .................................................................................. 29 2.3.2 Form as the principle of individuation .......................................................................... 35 2.3.3 Individuals in the Neoplatonica Arabica ....................................................................... 39 2.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 40 3 Avicenna ........................................................................................................................................ 41 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 41 3.1.1 Avicenna – his life and works ....................................................................................... 41 3.1.2 Works and spurious works in Avicenna ........................................................................ 41 3.1.3 The problem of individuals in the Islamicate world: Christian theology ...................... 42 3.1.4 Avicenna and the kal ām ................................................................................................ 44 3.1.5 Arabic philosophy ......................................................................................................... 53 3.1.6 Different terms denoting individuals and individuation in Avicenna............................ 53 3.1.6.1 Terms denoting individuals ....................................................................................... 54 3.1.6.2 Terms denoting individuation .................................................................................... 55 3.1.7 Different kinds of individuals in Avicenna’s universe .................................................. 57 3.1.8 Individuation in context ................................................................................................. 59 3.2 Logic ...................................................................................................................................... 60 3.2.1 Avicenna’s mental concepts .......................................................................................... 60 3.2.2 The status of the quinque voces – genus as an accident ................................................ 62 3.2.3 Avicenna’s logical genus ............................................................................................... 63 3.2.4 Arabic philosophers on individuals ............................................................................... 65 3.2.5 Ya ḥyā Ibn ʽAd ī and the Baghdad school ....................................................................... 67 3.2.6 Individuality .................................................................................................................. 74 3 3.2.7 Existence and indication of an individual concept ........................................................ 77 3.2.8 Indication ....................................................................................................................... 80 3.2.9 The place, where indication to an individual concept is possible .................................. 81 3.2.10 The individuum vaguum – al-shakh ṣ al-muntashar ...................................................... 84 3.2.11 Definitions and descriptions .......................................................................................... 88 3.2.12 The origin of the concept individuality ......................................................................... 92 3.2.13 A specific context: God’s knowledge of particulars...................................................... 95 3.2.14 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 99 3.3 Physics ................................................................................................................................. 100 3.3.1 Place and location ........................................................................................................ 100 3.3.2 Motion and positional motion ..................................................................................... 102 3.3.3 Avicenna’s Cosmos ..................................................................................................... 106 3.4 Metaphysics ......................................................................................................................... 109 3.4.1 Metaphysics, as a science ............................................................................................ 109 3.4.2 Avicenna’s moderate realism ...................................................................................... 110 3.4.2.1 The quiddity in the concrete particulars .................................................................. 112 3.4.2.2 Avicenna’s accidental individuation ....................................................................... 116 3.4.2.2.1 The role of accidents ......................................................................................... 117 3.4.2.2.2 Avicenna’s hesitation regarding the role accidents play in individuation ......... 124 3.4.2.2.3 Substance – accident dichotomy........................................................................ 129 3.4.2.3 Summary ................................................................................................................. 132 3.4.3 Existence and individuation ........................................................................................ 134 3.4.3.1 Does existence distinguish individuals from each other? ........................................ 135 3.4.3.2 Does existence individuate mental existents? ......................................................... 138 3.4.3.3 Existence, unity, and individuation ......................................................................... 140 3.4.3.4 Unity ........................................................................................................................ 143 3.4.3.4.1 Predecessors ...................................................................................................... 144 3.4.3.4.2 Avicenna on unity .............................................................................................. 146 3.4.3.5 Particularized existence: ʽayn – ta ʽayyun ................................................................ 150 3.4.3.6 Causality .................................................................................................................. 153 3.4.3.7 Particularization ....................................................................................................... 155 3.4.3.7.1 Particulars cause the particularity ...................................................................... 157 3.4.3.7.2 Positional motion and the particularization argument in the Kit āb al-Ta ʽlīqāt . 157 3.4.3.7.3 The role of preparatory causes........................................................................... 161 3.4.3.8 Summary ................................................................................................................