Avicenna -- Wine, Women & Philosophy [audio 45min]

In the city of Hamadan in Iran, right in the centre, there is a vast mausoleum dedicated to an Iranian national hero. Built in 1952, exactly 915 years after his death, it’s a great conical tower with twelve supporting columns. It’s dedicated not to a warrior or a king but to a philosopher and physician. His name is Ali Al Husayn Ibn-Sina, but he is also known as Avicenna and he is arguably the most important philosopher in the history of Islam. Presenter Melvyn Bragg investigates the history of ideas and debates their application in modern life with his guests Peter Adamson, Reader in Philosophy at King's College London; Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge; and Nader El-Bizri, Affiliated Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. Baron Bragg -- historian, journalist, novelist -- is Controller of Arts for London Weekend Television.