Translation and Analysis of Kindi's Treatise Explanation of the Contradiction of the Nature of the Celestial Sphere to the Nature of the Four Elements

Abstract

In this study, we translated the treatise of the first Islamic philosopher, Kindi, titled Explanation of the Nature of the Celestial Sphere Contrary to the Nature of the Four Elements into Turkish and made a summary conceptual analysis on it. The treatise is about the 'natural distinction' between the 'celestial sphere' and the four elements of 'earth', 'water', 'air' and 'fire'. The celestial sphere is in circular motion. The four elements are in rectilinear motion: from the middle (fire and air) and towards the middle (water and earth). These four elements are simple primary bodies. These have as their primary qualities warmth, coldness, wetness and dryness. Fire is hot and dry, earth is cold and dry, water is cold and wet, air is hot and wet. Due to these primary qualities, things like weight, lightness, speed and slowness emerge for the four elements. The celestial sphere, on the other hand, does not carry the primary qualities and any elemental attributes such as speed, slowness, lightness and weight.