The Four Elements In Hayy's Cosmology

Hayy developed a cosmology to portray how he understood the world through the use of observation, speculation, and comparison, without it he would have never discovered how interconnected the universe was. Hayy understands the world in a way that is similar to Copernicus and the rest of previous scientists. His theory of the world stemmed from developments that took place over 28 years in seven-year increments (Ibn Ṭufayl 1150, pg. 128). Hayy understood the world through the basis of the four elements including water, earth, air, and fire. His understanding of the four elements was that they could destroy the other. As an example, he included fire destroying water and earth, and air transforming into snow or rain (Ibn Ṭufayl 1150, pg. 128). In the beginning he believed that the universe was infinite based on 3 dimensions. After …show more content…
In the beginning of his cosmology, he started with the four elements being connected through their ability to destroy each other. He then moves on to the universe as a finite dimension and everything around it is on spherical orbits. Finally, he finished with the universe as a great big interconnection. The importance of Hayy's cosmology is that everything relies on the other. Without the air, wind and water, there would be no snow or rain. Without the orbits and spherical shapes of the sun, moon, and stars, there would not be equal days, nights, months or seasons. Without the universe decomposing, it would not be able to supply the needs of the next. After speculating on how important the wholeness of the universe was it led to him wanting more knowledge on how it was created. The difference of the holistic view is how his cosmology is seen compared to others. In his, everything is connected and a part of a greater whole versus an individual component. If he didn't see the universe as interconnected, he would not have found his other discoveries of its