The Universe as a System: Ibn Sīnā’s Cosmology Revisited

Abstract

This article explores Ibn Sīnā’s cosmological views and analyzes the underlying assumptions and arguments in support of the theories to which he subscribes. These in- clude the notions of the central and stationary position of the earth in a finite, spherical cosmos, the impossibility of the existence of many universes, and the metaphysi- cal forces that drive, guide, and maintain the perpetual movement of cosmic bodies.