Ibn Sina’s Semantics of Will Verbal Commonality or Semantic Commonality

In the works of Ibn Sina, expressions related to the discussion of will are phrased in a way that allows for two interpretations. Some researchers believe that Ibn Sina considers the attribute of will to be verbally common between the Necessary Being (God) and humanity. In contrast, others argue that he views this attribute as semantically common. Examination of Ibn Sina's works indicates that his expressions, in cases such as the following, have laid the groundwork for the interpretation of verbal commonality: (1) the absence of conceptual conflict in divine attributes, especially knowledge and will; (2) the distinction of will in the Necessary Being and humanity. On the other hand, his expressions regarding the division of will and the comparison of will in humans and the Necessary Being provide the basis for interpreting semantic commonality. It seems plausible to consider Ibn Sina's theory as semantic commonality and, relying on his expressions about will and divine attributes, present an interpretation of evidence supporting verbal commonality. Examining Ibn Sina's works allows us to define will as "a quality in the agent of the world that causes the issuance of an action from him." In this case, the will between God and humans will be semantically common. Within such a definition, the distinction between the will of God and the will of humans will be merely an extensional difference.