The problem that arises as a result of Aristotle's relation of priority and succession between affirmation and negation in the Peri Hermêneias is whether affirmation and negation have the same status in terms of being words.
Avicenna discusses affirmation and negation in terms of this logical problem in the fifth chapter of the first article of al-Ibāra (al-Ibāra, I.5), which corresponds to Peri Hermêneias in the corpus of al-Shifā, and presents his position on the subject through the distinction between relation and judgment. However, al-Shaykh al-Raīs's text is in some respects closed to the reader. The reason for this closure is that the background of Avicenna's text is a debate among Hellenistic commentators.
This seminar will propose to read al-Ibāra with the Hellenistic commentators in order to better understand the logical problem in the passages in question. The source for this reading is Boethius, who wrote a Latin commentary on the Peri Hermêneias. In the relevant section of Boethius' commentary, we will try to show that the positions of the Hellenistic commentators whose ideas he quotes (Alexander of Aphrodisias, Porphyrios, and Syrianos) coincide with Avicenna's defense and criticism of affirmation and negation. In this respect, our reading in this seminar aims to better understand Avicenna's relevant text and its logical implications on the one hand, and the dimensions of the philosopher's relationship with the Hellenistic commentators on the other.
Participation: The program is open to all interested parties and will be broadcast live on İLEM TV (YouTube).
