Aesthetic Manifestations in Ibn Miskawayh's Thought

It cannot be claimed that Ibn Miskawayh, the philosopher of the fourth century AH, systematically addressed the basic issues of aesthetics and philosophy of art in his works. However, he considers the issue of aesthetic experience and beauty as an issue and believes that the basic features of aesthetic experience are related to unity. Unity is a characteristic of divine existence, and the purpose of harmony, proportion, and rhythm in the physical (corporeal, bodily) world is to approach (to come close) this unity. In his view, beauty is an objective idea (concept) and “beautiful” is defined in the triangle of soul-nature-matter. What makes an object beautiful is the harmony between the souls that reflects the divine existence with a matter that is able to receive it. Perfection occurs when the artist applies what is appropriate to the soul in matter. Perfection is also the product of the relationship between theory and practice, which are two complementary fields. Ibn Miskawayh, in his works also examines music and poetry. In his view, music is the closest experience to receiving a divine existence. The experience gained through music has a greater impact on the soul than other arts. In his view, there is a connection between music and the unity and universal order. However, he keeps his distance from poetry, because he believes that poetry uses tricks to arouse the soul.