Dialectics of Ethics

Philosophical and theological ethics in the Islamic tradition tend to be appraised on the basis of a unilateral perspective, which circumvents a moral rational approach to intuition. On this account, moral knowledge is expected to rest on intuitive judgments, which are universally accessible to human beings. Looking at moral ontology and epistemology in Arabic philosophy, I demonstrate that taking intuitionism as the only valid rational discourse to ethics needs to be challenged. In fact, Arabic philosophers do not subscribe to a realist view of the good and evil in relation to human actions, and rather admit a division between cosmic values in metaphysics and moral values in ethics. In so doing, they show how metaphysics ascribes a substantial view to good in existence and a negative theory to evil, while the science of ethics admits a teleological and relative view of the good. Overall, the falāsifa remain committed to Aristotle’s premise that ethics does not rely on abstraction and emphasized the role of experience too. But, they seem to be also attentive to the dialectical nature of Islamic jurisprudence in producing norms considering both principles of the law and its particular application. This is also clear in their epistemology of ethical judgments such as the maxim justice is good. While they ascribe a universal status to ethical maxims, they preclude from granting them an absolute status over the authority of norms construction. Instead, philosophers attribute a dialectical role to ethical maxims to guarantee both consensus over norms and the possibility to produce truthful opinions. Keywords: Moral ontology and epistemology, The problem of evil, The nature of the good, Moral values, al-Fārābī, Ibn Sīnā, Ibn Rushd, Legal epistemology, Written and unwritten laws, Ethical maxims, Widely-accepted premises (mashhūrāt), Reputable premises (maḥmūdāt).

Brain Tissues Affection After Oral Tramadol: An Experiment Study

Tramadol may lead to the accumulation of toxic components in the body. This study aims to detect the toxic effect of tramadol on brain tissues. The clinical experiment was carried out at the Department of Neurosurgery, Ibn Sina Hospital. Ten rats of both sex weighing (180-300 g) were selected from the veterinary house. Brain tissues were immediately removed and put into 10% neutral buffer formalin for fixation, then stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin stain. A significant decrease in the brain weight in rats when given the tramadol in dose 50 mg/ kg. Changes included a mild degree of tissue injury in the cerebral cortex, increase in vacuolar degeneration, with atrophy and degeneration of neurons. There are toxic effects when tramadol describes for a long time on the brain tissues.

Robert Merton and Ibn Sina: A Roll Call of Moral Imperatives

The paper attempts to expand the authentic understanding of the imperatives of the scientific ethos given by R.K. Merton in 1942. In the original interpretation, Merton’s Code referred only to the European science of the New Age and subsequent centuries. As Merton himself and his followers have seen, the applicability of this code to other societies is not relevant. However, the author of the paper believes that the original four maxims of Merton in one way or another work effectively outside the specified space-time frame and, in particular, work in medieval Arab-Muslim science. The philosophical allegorical parable "The Message of Birds" written by Ibn Sina in the XI century is used as a text in which the imperatives that semantically coincide with Merton's maxims are found. The analysis shows that the text of the medieval scientist is transparently articulated: 1) Mertonian "communism" which assumes the collective ownership of epistemological discourse participants of the products received in its process (new empirical facts, theoretical and methodological innovations); 2) "universalism" that excludes any discrimination of discourse subjects on external, non-scientific criteria; 3) "disinterestedness", according to which the scientist builds his activities as if he had no other interests but to understand the truth; 4) "organized skepticism" according to which there is no presumption of innocence in science, and whoever comes forward with epistemological innovation must calmly and patiently prove his rightness to those who are standing in defence of the existing body of knowledge. Since the author of "The Message of Birds", despite his chosen artistic and mystical form for this work, is one of the largest figures of medieval Arab-Muslim science, his parable should be interpreted, first of all, as a text, which reflects the very process of cognitive search in pre-classical science. A closer familiarity with the nature and content of epistemological discourse in ancient and medieval traditional societies provides a good reason here to see one of the attempts to systematize the ethical rules that have actually been in force among scientists for many centuries.

Studying Ibn Sīnā, Performing Abulafia in a Mid-Sixteenth-Century Prison: Emotional, Medical, and Mystical Bodies between Italy and Silesia

Historians often address knowledge transfer in two ways: as an extension and continuation of an established tradition, or as the tradition’s modification in an act of individual reception. This article explores the tension between the two approaches through a case study of Eliezer Eilburg. It traces the footsteps of a sixteenth-century German Jew and his study of the late medieval Hebrew medical and mystical literature composed in the wider Mediterranean. As it uncovers the cultural, political, and social processes shaping knowledge transfer between various Jewish cultures and geographies, the article highlights the receiver’s individual agency. Under the thickly described intellectual traditions, it is the receiver’s lived experience that allows historians to grasp the impact of knowledge on the lives of premodern people—the impact on their body and its relation to the world and to God. Building this argument, this article problematizes the relationship between theory and practice.

Brain Awareness Week 2021 at Ibn Sina Academy (India): A Report

Brain- and neuroscience-related diseases and research are an important aspect to be discussed and explored at public interest. International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) is an international organization that is involved in spearheading both these activities. Brain Awareness Week (BAW) was never organized in a city which gave rise to the foundation of “Indian Academy of Neurosciences (IAN).” Stalwarts like Professor P. N. Saxena, Professor Om Chandra, Professor Mahdi Hasan, Professor K. C. Singhal, etc. did some significant efforts to promote neuroscience and brain research in Aligarh. They also established “Interdisciplinary Brain Research Centre” at Aligarh Muslim University and organized many scientific events including the Fifth Annual Conference of the IAN from December 7 to December 9, 1986. They also established “Interdisciplinary Brain Research Centre” at Aligarh Muslim University. Likewise, Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicine and Sciences is another institution where a large number of publications on neuroscience exist. With this background, BAW with a theme, “Neuroscience through the ages to modern times” was organized by the courtesy of IBRO-APRC Brain Awareness Week Grant. The exhibition of publications extant at Ibn Sina Academy (depicting history of neuroscience since medieval era specially the works of medieval Arabs who played a significant role in the growth of neurosurgery) and public awareness lectures on importance of neuroscience research helped in some extent to increase public awareness, foster public enthusiasm and interest in the younger generation. Students of all science disciplines including Unani medicine were invited to participate at various events such as presentation of postal stamps on neuroscience, paintings, essay writing competition, and poetry on brain and neuroscience.

Frequency of Fibromyalgia in a Sample of Iraqi Patients in Mosul with Ischemic Heart Disease

BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia is a common chronic condition characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain together with mood and cognitive dysfunction. Data on the frequency of fibromyalgia in ischemic heart disease (IHD) are scarce. AIM: This study aimed to assess the frequency of fibromyalgia in IHD patients and to evaluate the characteristics of IHD patients with comorbid fibromyalgia. METHODS: The study was conducted in the coronary care unit, Department of Medicine in Ibn Sina Teaching Hospital in Mosul city, between March and November 2020. One hundred patients with IHD and 100 healthy controls were studied. The diagnosis of fibromyalgia was according to the 2011 modification of the 2010 American College of Rheumatology preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia. Socio-demographic features and IHD characteristics of patients were recorded. RESULTS: The frequency of fibromyalgia was significantly higher among patients with IHD (29%) as compared to controls (7%). The mean age and proportion of women were significantly higher in IHD patients with fibromyalgia than those without fibromyalgia. It was also more common in patients with the present MI (p = 0.032) and in patients who had previous coronary angiography (p = 0.008). Patients with comorbid fibromyalgia had lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (p = 0.0003) and higher scores on beck depression inventory (p = 0.0025). However, on multivariate logistic regression analysis, only two variables remained significant, (1) among IHD patients, fibromyalgia was more frequent in women (odds ratio [OR] = 3.839, p = 0.022) and (2) in patients having lower LVEF (OR = 0.917, p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: There is a high frequency of fibromyalgia in patients with IHD. Those IHD patients with comorbid fibromyalgia are more likely to be older, women, and with poor LVEF.

Pertanian Menurut Perspektif As-Sunnah: Tinjauan Umum Pemikiran dan Sumbangan Tokoh-Tokoh Ilmuwan Islam

Engaging in the agricultural sector is Islamic demand. Rasulullah PBUH's suggestion clearly emphasizes the importance of this sector in prospering the greenery of this earth. This article collected several hadiths related to agriculture that explain the benefits of agriculture from the perspective of al-sunnah and its management, agriculture as an economic driver and the challenges of implementing al-sunnah recommendations in the era of globalization. Besides, this article also highlights some Islamic scholars who made significant contributions in the field of agriculture, namely al-Dinawari, Ibn Sina, Ibn Sidah, Ibn al-Rumiyyah and Ibn al-Baitar. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the collected study text. The main objective of this paper is to list the hadiths related to agricultural incentives as well as to present to the community that Islam since the heyday of Islamic civilization has emphasized the aspect of agriculture as one of the main sources of economy. Therefore, it is hoped that this article can contribute to the replenishment of human capital in the agricultural sector. This is further strengthened by the recommendations of the Malaysian government which places great emphasis on the agricultural sector.

اسْتثمارُ العربيَّةِ في تدوينِ العلومِ البَحتةِ (الجغرافيا، والطب، والفيزياء)

تسعى هذه الدراسةُ إلى تتبعِ أثرِ اللغةِ العربيةِ في تدوين ثلاثةِ علوم، وهي: (الجغرافيا، والطب، والفيزياء)، مُتبعةً في ذلك المنهج (الوصفي التحليلي) في عرض مادة الدراسة. وقد جَاءَ تفصيلُ القول في علم الجغرافيا على التوزيع الكمّي للظاهرة اللغويّة، وتبيان أثر المكان الجغرافيّ في التنوّع اللهجي الذي يبرزُ خيرَ ما يكونُ ويُطمَحُ إليه في الأطالس اللغويّة، وفي أدب الرحلات، ولا سيما أدب ابن بطوطة الذي كان تكَأة الباحث (تحفة النظّار). وفي الطبّ يتوقّفُ الباحثُ عند ما ألّفه العربُ في الطبّ، وأفادَ منه العلمُ الحديثُ، كما أفادَ منه الأوروبيّون، وتعريب تدريس الطبّ في الجامعات أسوة بالجامعات السورية، مع ذكر نماذج من كتب الطبّ التي أضحت عُمدة، نحو: (الطب النبوي لابن قيّم الجوزيّة، والحاوي لأبي بكر الرازي، والقانون في الطب لابن سينا). وأما علمُ الفيزياء فقد أفادَ الباحث من مصطلحات، نحو: (الفراغ، والزمن، والركود، والجريان، والمزامنة، والمسافة، وغيرها) في بنية اللغة النصيّة التي طغت في النسيج الروائي بعامّة، ولا سيّما عند الأدباء المغاربة، وفي النقد الروائي الذي اغتنى بهذه المصطلحات، مع التدليل بأمثلةٍ دالّةٍ من منجز الدكتور/ كمال أبو ديب في هذا الشأن. الكلمات المفتاحية: (تدوين، اللغة العربية، الجغرافيا، الطب، الفيزياء). Abstract: The current study aims at investigating the impact of Arabic language on documenting three sciences, namely geography, medicine and physics; in which the descriptive analytical approach was used to clarify this issue. Regarding geography, the researcher provided a detailed discussion of the quantitative distribution of the linguistic phenomenon and showed the effect of the geographical location on linguistic diversity that is highly proven and indicated in the linguistic atlases and travel literature, especially the literature of Ibn Battuta (Tuhfat al-nazar), which was the support and the pillar for the researcher. Regarding medicine, the researcher was satisfied with mentioning what the Arabs wrote about medicine, which has benefited the modern science and the Europeans as well. He also mentioned the Arabization of the medicine teaching in universities in a similar way to the Syrian universities, together with mentioning examples of the medicine books that became key pillars and references, such as (The Prophetic Medicine or Al-Tibb al-nabawī) by Ibn Qayyim al- -Jawziyyah, (Al-Hawi) by Abu Bakr al-Razi and (Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb) by Ibn Sina. Regarding physics, the researcher stated some terms in the structure of the text language, such as Space, Time, Stagnation, flow, synchronization, distance and others that dominated the novels in general, especially among the Moroccan writers and the narrative criticism that was enrich in these terms. The researcher demonstrated this through mentioning proves and relating examples to this issue from (Jdliah Alkhfa'a Waltjli) book authored by prof. Kamal Abu Deeb. Keywords: (Documenting, Arabic, Geography, Medicine, Physics).

The “evidential paradigm” in Persian Classics: princes from Sarandip and other clue interpreters

The rich history of Persian literature reception in the West includes such a major event as the translation of the Persian narrative into European languages. This has influenced the comprehension of a new epistemological paradigm in the humanities. The story under discussion is the first chapter of Amir Khusrav Dihlavi’s poem “Eight Paradises” (Hašt bihišt, 1299–1301), in which the Indian princess tells the Sassanian king Bahram Gur a tale of three princes from Sarandip (Sri Lanka, Ceylon). As the plot progresses, the princes restore the events of the past according to clues and signs and repeatedly demonstrate their firāsa or ability to guess based on the analysis of evidence. The stages of European reception of this story are well known. All this material is discussed in the methodologically famous work “Clues: Roots of an Evidential Paradigm” (1986) by Carlo Ginzburg, who connected the “evidential paradigm” with the Arabic firāsa, a “complex notion which, in general, designated the ability to pass, on the basis of clues, directly from the known to the unknown”; Ginzburg noted that the Sarandip princes were famous exactly for that ability. In this article, the Persian prose sources of the Three princes tale are under discussion, as well as some other sagacity stories from Persian didactic books (adab). Among the detective characters Abū ʻAlī ibn Sīnā gained particular popularity; in some stories, the great philosopher and author of the fundamental canon “The Medicine” acts as a doctor who recognizes a disease by symptoms and at the same time as a detective who restores the course of events from evidence and refutes unfair accusations before a judge.