Allegory and Philosophy in Avicenna (Ibn Sînâ): With a Translation of the Book of the Prophet Muhammad's Ascent to Heaven

3. The Structure and Representation of the Cosmos

3. The Structure and Representation of the Cosmos Avicenna possessed an extraordinarily systematic vision of the structure of the cosmos-and of how it should be studied. Appreciating this fact is crucial if we are to understand his intellectual accomplishments; but it must also be kept in perspective. His passion for cohesiveness and completion led to the preoccupation with detail and demonstration that characterizes his logos writings: everything must fit, everything must hang together logically.1 This being the case, it is not surprising that many later students of Avicenna, attracted by these very attributes of system, detail, and logical coherence, tend to view his philosophy through the prism of his logos texts and become equally obsessed with matters of demonstration and detail. This mind-set, understandable as it may be, can distort our apprehension of the general direction and purpose of Avicenna's thought. It is possible to become so concerned with the ways in which specific arguments are rationally demonstrated, or so preoccupied with the study of the historical origins of ideas adopted from previous thinkers, that one loses sight of the fact that such details are intended to support, not displace, Avicenna's comprehensive vision of the nature of the cosmos. This kind of logos-oriented perspective also often fails to take into account the more universal existential forces behind the creation of new philosophical systems, forces that stem from a desire to organize or reorganize our understanding of the cosmos and give meaning to our place within it. It can also obscure the inventive nature of system-building, losing sight of the fact that it is a creative act of synthesis that combines old pieces of philosophical puzzles with new in order to produce fresh, seminal intellectual configurations. In such an enterprise, it is the overall scheme, the matrix of interwoven plots, that is essential for the system-building philosopher, while the particular details drawn in to support and substantiate this scheme remain subsidiary. Close attention to particulars is merely part of the process of working out the internal bursts of intuitive philo- 36 Allegory and Philosophy sophical revelation that inspire the development of the system as a whole. Indeed, the distinguishing mark of a superior philosopher is the ability to balance close attention to detail with a panoramic vision of a large-scale intellectual system.2 In studying Avicenna's system, therefore, one must not become so involved in matters of logical minutiae as to forget the relation of the part to the whole. On the contrary, one must first delineate the general intellectual concerns, motives, and intuitions that underlie Avicenna's pursuit of philosophy to show how they are typically organized. Only this path leads to a clear understanding of the relationship among the various logos and muthos formulations to which the philosopher resorts in order to represent his system. The central plot of Avicenna's allegories is the human soul's achievement of perfection, as represented in terms of heavenly ascent. But this is only one part of a grander vision that shapes Avicenna's overarching intellectual system. This vision has two main parts: the cosmogonic unfolding of the universe from the single source of creation according to a Ncoplatonic emanational scheme, and the return, or reincorporation, of the fulfilled and perfected individual human soul to its intellectual and ontological point of origin. This episteme represents the comprehensive architectonics of Avicenna's vision of the structure and operations of the cosmos. In order to participate fully in it, we will first trace the movement of cosmogonic unfolding that constitutes its first part and then investigate various representations of its second movement, the theme of spiritual return, of which the allegories constitute separate renditions. The Structure of the Cosmos Avicenna divides the cosmos into three connected yet essentially disparate parts. At the fount of existence stands the "Necessary Existent" (wajib alwujud ) , which in many ways constitutes a synthesis of Plato's "The Good," Aristotle's "Prime Mover" and Plotinus's "The One." The Necessary Existent derives its name from the fact that, according to Avicenna, existence is an essential component of its essence. Only the Necessary Existent "exists " unconditionally. It is the "First Principle," One and Eternal, admitting neither multiplicity (kathra) nor change (taghayyur). It is also "Pure Intellect," simultaneously Intellecter, Intellect, and Intelligible ((aqil) (aql) ma(qul), Lover and Beloved ((ashiq)ma(shuq),Enjoyer and Enjoyed (mul- Structure and Representation of...