Dr Haidar Hobballah participated in the international conference “Avicenna, Avicennism, and Later Philosophical Traditions,” held in Munich, Germany, over three days from 15th to 17th November 2024. The conference was jointly organised by the University of Munich and the German Oriental Research Center in Beirut.
Dr Hobballah delivered a paper titled: “Avicennian Philosophy in Contemporary Imami Religious Seminaries and Institutes.” In his presentation, he discussed the status of Avicennian philosophy in the modern era through three main axes:
1 – The impact of the emergence of Sadrian philosophy in the 17th century on the position of Ibn Sina’s philosophy in Shia seminaries and universities. He examined how the rise of Sadrian philosophy led to the gradual marginalisation of Avicennian thought.
2 – The status of Avicennian philosophy in the context of the broader philosophical debate within the seminaries. This discussion revolved around four key points:
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- Two interpretations of Ibn Sina’s philosophical identity, as presented by Henry Corbin and Mehdi Ha’iri.
- The stance of the official religious establishment, represented by Ayatollah Borujerdi, towards Avicennian philosophy and whether it paralleled its negative view of Sadrian philosophy.
- The position of the Khurasani Tafkiki school towards Avicennian philosophy, highlighting how its stance differed between Avicennian and Sadrian thought in practice.
- The perspective of contemporary Imami theological schools, which rejected Avicennian and other philosophical traditions outright, based on the belief that the structure of philosophy inherently conflicts with Shia doctrinal principles.
3 – The existence of a genuine Avicennian current in Shia religious seminaries today. Dr Hoballah argued that such a current does not truly exist. However, he noted the presence of individuals advocating for Avicennian thought as an alternative to Sadrian and mystical philosophical approaches.
The paper concluded by exploring the potential role of Avicennian philosophy today, emphasising its capacity to mediate between the religious establishment, Shia doctrinal movements, and Sadrian mystical philosophical thought.
It is anticipated that the proceedings of this conference will be published in a forthcoming book.
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