Interdisciplinary Lecture Series Inaugurating the Avicenna Year 2027
Marking the “Avicenna Year” 2027 – one thousand years after the completion of The Book of Healing, one of the most significant works in the history of philosophy – this lecture series is dedicated to the thought of the Muslim philosopher and scholar Avicenna (Ibn Sīnā, d. 428/1037), exploring his works through interdisciplinary and dialogue-oriented perspectives. Rather than focusing exclusively on the technical core areas of his philosophy – metaphysics and logic – this series turns its attention to less-explored fields of inquiry and their historical impact. These include, among others, his reflections on prophecy and legislation, poetry and poetics, mathematics, as well as zoology and medicine.
Avicenna’s conception of philosophy is broad in scope. Consequently, his ideas cover various fields of knowledge that today are perceived as distinct from one another. Organized by the “Avicenna Study Center,” the series features lectures by distinguished external experts covering these topics. An introductory session held the preceding week will introduce the subject matter using selected primary and secondary texts, thereby laying the groundwork for the lecture to follow the next week. The result is a panorama of the “other” Avicenna – one that appeals equally to beginners and advanced students, as well as to anyone interested and to experts alike.
12.11.2026 Peter Pormann / Medicine: Avicenna’s Medical Philosophy: The Examples of Melancholy and Related Diseases
03.12.2026 Meryem Sebti / Prophecy: Prophecy Beyond the Three Modes: Providence, Celestial Souls, and the Metaphysics of Mediation in Ilāhiyyāt X
10.12.2026 M-Saleh Zarepour / Mathematics: Arithmetic in Ibn Sīnā’s The Healing
07.01.2027 Clara Westergaard / Poetics: More than Logic: Avicenna's Theory of Poetry
21.01.2027 Feriel Bouhafa / Rhetoric and Law: Was Ibn Sīnā Interested in Ethics?
04.02.2027 Tommaso Alpina / Zoology: Not So Pure: Ibn Sīnā's Zoology as a Philosophical Science
Time: 16-18 (c.t.)
Location: GB 03/142
Attendance free and open to all interested.
Inquiries: avicenna-forschungsstelle@rub.de
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Last update: Oct 29, 2026