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centuries following the remarkable achievement of Ibn Sina
(Avicenna; d. 1037) were a remarkably creative period in the
sciences and philosophy. Sa'd ibn Mansur Ibn Kammuna, a Jew from
Baghdad, actively participated in the lively discourse of his
day. In his copious writings he takes up the entire gamut of
philosophical issues discussed by his contemporaries. Editions,
translations and studies of works by Ibn Kammuna and other
thinkers of the time have appeared in recent years. Nonetheless,
it remains difficult at this stage to contextualize Ibn
Kammuna's work, or to decide wherein lies his most noteworthy
contribution. No topic so engaged Ibn Kammuna more than the
study of the human soul, especially its proper characterization
and the proofs for its survival after the death of the body. So,
after first surveying Ibn Kammuna's biography, writings, and
image, we will present Ibn Kammuna's views on the soul and its
afterlife. Then we shall follow the t