حکمت سینوی (Sep 2023)
Farabi and Ibn Sina on Familiar Knowledge
Abstract
The concept of ‘familiar knowledge’ in Farabi's philosophy and ‘imaginative mental appetites’ in Ibn Sina's works both address the role of desire in theoretical wisdom and at the level of perception. The association of tranquility of the soul, conformity, disconformity, certainty of the heart, dogmatism and stubbornness, and contentment with such perceptions necessitates an examination of the present issue and the aspect of familiarity in knowledge and the appetite for a particular understanding. The naturalization and familiarity of a belief depends on the degree to which it conforms the individual's other knowledge, including the permanent qualities present in him. Such knowledge is present in the soul as stable and reliable knowledge. Permanent qualities, which are created in the mind through habit and repetition, are considered by Farabi to justify the association of feeling with opinions and cognitions. In Ibn Sina's view as well, the psychological prerequisites of perception and their presence at the level of beliefs and cognition are a kind of protection of knowledge. He believes that people's desire for what they have perceived is greater than their desire for something they are not familiar with. This statement is explained in terms of the place of familiarity in perceptions. He, like Farabi, emphasizes the role of soul permanent qualities in this matter and believes that the intellectual environment plays a significant role in the association of emotions, passions, and feelings with perceptions.
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