The Process of Action in Ibn Sīnā’s Philosophy of Mind

The purpose of this article is to analyze the process of action and the mental states that form this process as expounded in İbn Sīnā’s philosophy. From a philosophical point of view, action emerges as a result of a mental process accompanied by a number of mental states. According to Ibn Sīnā, the occurrences of action –voluntary actions– are dependent on the formation of cognition, desire and bodily movements. This is in fact a process, and a series of mental states/circumstances such as imagination, thinking, desire, appetite, anger, and will, are the essential components of it. This article takes up the relations of these states with each other throughout the process and analyzes the functions they perform in terms of conducing to an action.