must be 300 words

Avicenna bonus assignment

from Wikipedia:

Avicenna (/ˌævəˈsɛnə/; also Ibn Sīnā or Abu Ali Sina; Persian: ابن سینا‎; c. 980 – June 1037) was a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, thinkers and writers of the Islamic Golden Age.^[5] He has been described as the father of early modern medicine.^[6][7] Of the 450 works he is known to have written, around 240 have survived, including 150 on philosophy and 40 on medicine.^[8]

This is a project in what is sometimes called “comparative theology.” You will be comparing a Muslim philosopher, Avicenna (980-1037), to a Christian philosopher, Anselm (c. 1033-1109). Even though Anselm never read anything by Avicenna, you may find it interesting how similar some of their thoughts are.

Your assignment is to read sections 18-37 of Avicenna’s Metaphysica and write a short essay on it. This section discusses the Necessary Existent (i.e., God or Allah). I suggest using the subheadings to help you comprehend the flow of the argument. You will notice that it has a flow fairly similar to that of Anselm’s Proslogion, in that it moves from God’s existence to His attributes and finally to beatitude.

For your essay (300-500 words), summarize the main points that Avicenna makes and then describe how they compare to Anselm’s Proslogion. You do not need to re-read the Proslogion, just work from your class notes and consult the text as needed.

I will grade the essay on a scale of 1-3. A 1 will indicate that the essay is not at all satisfactory and earns nothing. This would happen, for example, if the essay were too short. A 2 will indicate that the essay is acceptable and earns a 1.5% increase in the final grade for the course. A 3 will indicate very good work earning a 2% increase in the final grade.