Science of the Soul in Ibn Sīnā's Pointers and Reminders: A Philological Study

In Science of the Soul in Ibn Sīnā's Pointers and Reminders, Michael A. Rapoport provides a philological and interpretive guide for critically reading and interpreting Ibn Sīnā's (Avicenna, d. 1037) most challenging and influential text. Rapoport argues that chapters VII-X of the Pointers present scientific explanations for phenomena related to the human soul - from intellection to divination, magic, and marvels - within the framework of Ibn Sīnā's Metaphysics of the Rational Soul. This book dispels widespread notions that the Pointers represents Ibn Sīnā's mystical or Sufi philosophy and therefore stands apart from the rest of his corpus.