Join us as we explore the life of the preeminent philosopher and physician of the Islamic Golden Age: Ibn Sina, known in the West as Avicenna. Born in the village of Afshana around 980, Avicenna was a child prodigy who memorized the Quran by age ten and mastered medicine by age eighteen.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Father of Early Modern Medicine: We discuss The Canon of Medicine, his massive encyclopedia that diagnosed invisible organisms as causes of disease and served as the standard medical text in European universities as late as 1650.
• The Floating Man: We break down his famous thought experiment that proves self-awareness and the immateriality of the soul by imagining a person suspended in air, isolated from all sensation.
• Metaphysics & Theology: ...