Abstract
The mode of existence of relatives has been a matter of debate throughout the history of thought. Having evaluated the debate through the contrast between a first intelligible that has individuals in the external world and a second intelligible that has no counterpart at the individual level in the external world, Ibn Sīnā believed the relative to be a categorical accident with individuals that can be pointed at in the external world. In the Metaphysics of al-Shifā, Ibn Sīnā proposed a solution aimed at eliminating the objections based on the infinite regress against his view. The article tests the applicability of the model built in this solution to the meaning of otherness (al-mughāyara), the results of which reveal the incompatibility of otherness with this model as a problem. When examining the source of this problem, the following findings are noted: The categorical relative (al-muḍāf) and pure relation (iḍāfa) are not the same thing. Pure relation is a general concept upon which the categorical relative is based and to which it cannot be reduced, because the predicate of oneness (wahda) becomes valid for multiplicity (kathra) through pure relation. Otherness is a general predicate that is inherent in and coextensive with pure relation; in this way, otherness is included in the most general class of concepts that explain the order in the existence of all existents including the categorical relative. As Ibn Sīnā’s solution model in Metaphysics aims to explain the result of pure relation in essences, it cannot be applied to pure relation phases that prioritize results and transcend categories and thus cannot be applied to otherness.
Keywords
Pure relation relative otherness Ibn SīnāShare
Details
- Authors: Zehra Gökgöz, Ph.D. Candidate, Marmara University
- DOI: dx.doi.org/10.12658/Nazariyat.7.2.M0131en
- Year: 2021 (November) / Volume: 7 / Issue: 2
- Page: 91-120
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