The Role of Abstraction in Intellectual Knowledge According to Avicenna

According to Ibn Sina, knowledge occurs when the perceiver acquires the intellectual form of the perceived object. The perception of the material depends on the abstraction of these intellectual forms. Perception, based on the degree to which the perceptual form is abstracted from its material components, is divided into sensory, imaginary, and intellectual categories. Ibn Sina views the human soul as inherently intellectual, with its primary function being the acquisition of intellectual knowledge. Other types of perception are considered material and exist within the soul only through its connection to the body. Reasoning has a close connection with the active intellect (al-ʿaql al-faʿʿāl</em>), which serves as the catalyst for the emergence of intellectual forms and the intellectualization of the perceiver. In current interpretations of Ibn Sina's work, abstraction is deemed a necessary condition for intellectual knowledge, and it plays an essential role in the process of acquiring intellectual knowledge. Nevertheless, there are instances in his work where intellectual knowledge is achieved without abstraction, solely through a connection (ittiṣāl) to the active intellect.