It is obvious that this work is no place for a review of all...

It is obvious that this work is no place for a review of all the positions and a criticism of all the relevant reasons. Therefore, we will confine ourselves to a mention of the most famous positions, and an explanation of the view we affirm.

The Difference between ‘Space’ and ‘Spatial Location’ and between ‘Time’ and ‘Temporal Location’ Before discussing the reality of place and time, it is necessary to bear in mind this point, that philosophers differentiate between space or place ( makān ) and spatial location or where ( ‘ayn ), and likewise between the concepts of time ( zamān ) and temporal location or when ( matā ).

The concepts of whereness and whenness are considered to be relative, obtained by relating a thing to a place and time. In the Aristotelian table of categories they are placed among the seven relative accidental categories, although it seems that basically these kinds of concepts must not be considered whatish concepts or categories. The reason for this becomes clear with regard to the characteristics of the kinds of concepts explained in Lesson Fifteen.

In any case, the Aristotelians believed that both the concept of where and when are independent whatish concepts and specific categories and have no relation to the whatness of time and space. Others have also had no doubt that though these kinds of concepts are brought about in relation to time and space, they are different from the concepts of space and time. For this reason, one should be careful not to confuse discussions about space and time with those about these relational concepts.

The Reality of Space Regarding the whatness of space, a few positions have been reported which are quite weak and not worth discussing, and no famous philosophers has held them. For example, there is the position that space consists of the prime matter of bodies or their forms or actualities, or that it is an independent corporeal area in which the cosmos is contained.

Among the positions, two are quite famous: one, which is attributed to Plato has been affirmed by some Islamic sages, such as Ṣadr al-Muta’allihīn; while the other is attributed to Aristotle, and it has been accepted by the majority of Islamic sages, including Fārābī and Ibn Sīnā. The view attributed to Plato is that, space is a substantival immaterial dimension which is identical to the volume of the cosmos.