Subject, principle and problem in avicenna

Within the framework of this thesis the book "Burhān" of Avicenna (d. 428/1037) will be taken to the center and the concepts subject, principle and problem that are the three pillars of the sciences will be examined. These concepts, which were first proposed by Aristotle (d. 322 B.C) in the history of philosophy, generally determine the field of research of a science and the principles on which the science should be based. Thus, it is possible for the sciences to be separated from each other and each science to examine some of the existing things. In this sense, aforementioned concepts constitute an integrity with which neither philosophical disciplines nor disciplines of religious sciences can be unconcerned. In fact, in the period of the later theologians in Islam, the collection of information that is not based on these three concepts is not known as science. Therefore, these three concepts have been accepted as a measure of scientific activity. In the first part of our study the meaning of the concept of principle and its classes are examined from different views. Thus, firstly, the opportunity to know something in terms of epistemology is provided and a ground is prepared for the scientific activity; then principles are discussed in scientific terms. In the second part, the concept of the subject is analyzed. In this context, the nature of the subjects that differentiate the sciences from each other are discussed and their classes are examined according to different reputations. Finally, a detailed analysis of the problems of a science is made and the subject and predicate of a proposition which is established in that science are given with examples. As an extension of this, the topic of essential accident is taken into consideration by analyzing also the literature after Avicenna. And finally, our work is concluded with a final chapter that covers the general evaluation of the topic.