Modulation and Externality of Being: A Reflection on an Avicennaean Approach to determine the Unity of Subject Matter of Metaphysics

Abstract

Aristotle has various phrases for the subject matter of metaphysics which leads to ambiguity not only in understanding his ultimate intention but also results in formation of two theological and ontological conceptions of the nature of metaphysics. Correlated to this problem, it has mentioned frequently in classic literature and secondary studies that Avicenna has proposed the being qua being as the subject of this science and God and immaterial substances as the purpose of it and therefore has resolved the ambiguity. But Aristotle in determination of Subject matter of metaphysics has considered being neither univocal nor equivocal, but as the third kind i.e. πρὸς ἓν and also ascribed univocacy as the condition of unity of a science. By focusing on the concept of modulation in Islamic Philosophy, this article shows how Avicenna and Sadra with univocacy of being and accepting externality for it, has proved the subject of metaphysics as an extra-mental unified thing. Hence they have firstly counted metaphysics as a first order knowledge and secondly considered it as a knowledge about all degrees of reality.