analysis and investigation of Ibn sina's opinion about motion cause on basis of his existence approach

Abstract

Having deprived the principle of causality as existence-giver from the position of existing agents in natural world, Avicenna used the construction of motive agent to justify their effects. However, careful reflection on how motion exists and its meaning implies that in Avicenna's system of thought motion is a possible fact and consequent accident, so it needs an independent cause in its creation to create it. Thus, natural agent which was first supposed to be the donor of motion is now considered existence-giver, given the above explanation. This poses the following questions: what is the role of natural agent at the end? What does it mean when it is said that natural agent bestows motion? Is there any difference between creating motion and creating other creatures, which allows Avicenna to attribute causality as motion-creator to natural agent? The present paper discusses and analyzes Avicenna's view in two parts of creative cause and motive cause while referring to superficial inconsistency in his words, and tries to use his "theory of inclination" to remove this inconsistency.

Keywords

• avicenna
• causality
• creative agent
• motive agent
• motion
• inclination