Número 42 - 2012
Articles

Avicennan troubles: The mysteries of the heptagonal house and of the phoenix

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  • Thérèse-Anne Druart
Thérèse-Anne Druart
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21555/top.v42i1.61

Published 2013-11-28

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How to Cite

Druart, T.-A. (2013). Avicennan troubles: The mysteries of the heptagonal house and of the phoenix. Tópicos, Revista De Filosofía, 42(1), 51–73. https://doi.org/10.21555/top.v42i1.61
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Abstract

In the Metaphysics of the Shifâ Avicenna distinguishes three ways in which universals are said. The second sense is puzzling since Avicenna explains that universals are said of what it is permissible to say of many, even if it is not a condition that these many should exist in actuality, and he illustrates this kind of universals with the “heptagonal house”. In its nature this universal can be said of many, but it does not follow necessarily that these many must exist -not even one of them. This second case deals with a less common type of universal, since such universals may have either only one instantiation or even none at all. The example of the heptagonal house is not traditional, as Greek sources, such as Porphyry and Simplicius, use the phoenix instead. In this paper Thérèse-Anne Druart explores in depth the use of this particular illustration, namely, the “heptagonal house”.

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