THE IMPORTANT PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS OF THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN ABU RAYHAN AL-BIRUNI AND ABU ALI IBN SINA

Abstract

This article analyzes the scholarly and philosophical correspondence between two great thinkers of the Eastern Renaissance, Abu Rayhan al-Biruni and Abu Ali ibn Sina (Avicenna). Their scholarly dialogue, conducted in the form of questions and answers, represents an important example of critical thinking, scholarly debate, and an evidence-based culture of knowledge in the history of medieval Eastern science. Their correspondence addresses such issues as Aristotle’s views on natural philosophy, the nature and motion of celestial bodies, the divisibility of matter, the existence of a vacuum, light and heat, the possibility of inhabiting different regions of the Earth, the process of water freezing, and the floating of ice on the surface of water. The article comparatively examines al-Biruni’s approach, which was grounded in observation, experimentation, and logical argumentation, and Ibn Sina’s approach, which was based on philosophical and logical analysis. It also highlights the significance of their correspondence for the methodology of scientific inquiry, epistemology, and the history of Eastern philosophy.