Summary
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Persian Islamic philosopher, Avicenna. In the city of Hamadan in Iran, right in the centre, there is a vast mausoleum dedicated to an Iranian national hero. Built in 1952, exactly 915 years after his death, it’s a great conical tower with twelve supporting columns. It’s dedicated not to a warrior or a king but to a philosopher and physician. His name is Ali Al Husayn Ibn-Sina, but he is also known as Avicenna and he is arguably the most important philosopher in the history of Islam. In a colourful career Avicenna proved the existence of god, amalgamated all known medical knowledge into one big book and established a mind body dualism 600 years before Descartes and still found time to overindulge in wine and sex. With Peter Adamson, Reader in Philosophy at King's College London; Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge; Nader El-Bizri, Affiliated Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge.
Transcript
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| 0:48.3 | Hello in the city of Hamadan in Iran right in the center |
| 0:51.6 | there's a vast mausoleum dedicated to an Iranian national |
| 0:55.0 | hero. |
| 0:56.0 | Built in 1952, exactly 915 years after his death, it's a high conical tower with 12 supporting columns. |
| 1:03.0 | It's dedicated not to a warrior or a king, |
| 1:06.0 | but to a philosopher and physician. |
| 1:08.0 | His name is Abu Ali al-Husain, |
| 1:10.0 | even sina, but is also known as Avicenna, |
| 1:12.0 | and is arguably the most important philosopher in the history of Islam. |
| 1:16.8 | With me to discuss Avicana, his world, his ideas and his influence on the way that both Muslims |
| 1:21.3 | and Christians think, an influence which continued for centuries, |
| 1:25.0 | a Peter Adamson, reader in philosophy at King's College London, Amira Benison, senior lecture |
| 1:30.0 | in Middle East and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge and Nada El Bisri, affiliated |
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