<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Avicenna offers a novel definition of “nature” as a power in his <italic>Physics of the Healing.</italic> Some have seen in this redefinition a radical departure from Aristotle. James Weisheipl, for one, rejected Avicenna’s definition as a mistaken interpretation of Aristotle and as a position incompatible with Thomas Aquinas. In Weisheipl’s view, Avicenna reifies form into a kind of motor of the natural being, a conception earlier rejected by Thomas Aquinas in several works. In this study, I offer a Thomistic defense of Avicenna by investigating the definition of nature and its relation to matter and form.</p>
</abstract>

Avicenna offers a novel definition of “nature” as a power in his Physics of the Healing. Some have seen in this redefinition a radical departure from Aristotle. James Weisheipl, for one, rejected Avicenna’s definition as a mistaken interpretation of Aristotle and as a position incompatible with Thomas Aquinas. In Weisheipl’s view, Avicenna reifies form into a kind of motor of the natural being, a conception earlier rejected by Thomas Aquinas in several works. In this study, I offer a Thomistic defense of Avicenna by investigating the definition of nature and its relation to matter and form.

A Thomistic Defense of “Nature” in Avicenna’s Physics

European Journal for the Study of Thomas Aquinas

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"A Thomistic Defense of \u201cNature\u201d in Avicenna\u2019s Physics"}

Avicenna offers a novel definition of “nature” as a power in his Physics of the Healing. Some have seen in this redefinition a radical departure from...

A Thomistic Defense of “Nature” in Avicenna’s Physics

Published Online: Nov 09, 2021

Page range: 43 - 60

Received: Jun 24, 2021

Accepted: Oct 13, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ejsta-2021-0003

Keywords
Avicenna, hylomorphism, nature, power, causality

© 2021 Catherine Peters, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

A Thomistic Defense of “Nature” in Avicenna’s Physics

Published Online: Nov 09, 2021

Page range: 43 - 60

Received: Jun 24, 2021

Accepted: Oct 13, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ejsta-2021-0003

KeywordsAvicenna, hylomorphism, nature, power, causality

© 2021 Catherine Peters, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Avicenna, hylomorphism, nature, power, causality