Al-Gazzali Questions

"On the Separation of Mathematics and Religion Al-Ghazali" Questions

1. What do the selections on mathematics and the scientific description of smallpox tell you about Islamic values?

                    The selection on mathematics reveals that there was a divide between Islamic holy values, or religious sciences, and mathematics, or exact sciences.  Mathematicians dealt with exact numbers and concepts and theories that could be proven.  Religious beliefs could not always be proven and therefore, mathematicians did not always believe in religious sciences or doctrine.  They articulated that religious doctrine was not always true, much to the chagrin of religious authorities.  According to Islamic holy laws the scientific world, such as the orbits of the sun and the moon, could be viewed from the religious as well the exact sciences.  Exact calculations, such as astronomical orbit calculations, could be explained through the exact sciences, but all other explanations were rooted in religious beliefs and laws.

      2. According to Al-Gazzali, should mathematics and religion be separated? Why or Why not?s

                    According to Al-Gazzali, mathematics and religion should be separated because they have no connection to each other; religious law does not condemn or approve of math or exact sciences, and exact sciences/math do not condemn or contradict religious sciences.  Mathematics is an exact science that can be proven, and people would believe that the impious views or unbeliefs’ of mathematicians are true because they are intellectual, learned men whose reasoning is not likely to be faulty.  Al-Gazzali believed that mathematics could not be linked to religion and that religion could not be linked to exact sciences such as mathematics; they should be separated because each one functions within a different domain. 

"Deliverance From Error"Questions

1. In what ways is Al-Gazzali's thinking similar to Plato's The Allegory of the Cave?  In what ways do they diverge?

                    Al-Gazzali's thinking is similar to Plato's The Allegory of the Cave in that both discussed the search for an absolute truth, more specifically, introspection and viewing reality.  Both Plato and Al-Gazzali were skeptics, who taught others not to believe the words of others, primarily because what was taught to them may have not been accurate.   Just because one was taught an ethic or principle didn’t mean that what they said or told was accurate. Plato had stated “We already know, but only in some implicit way, what it takes investigation to come to know explicitly,” implying that the only way to figure out information was to investigate and experiment, rather than relying on the words or thoughts of others.  Al-Gazzali’s thinking is similar to Plato’s thinking in that he too trusts nobody besides God, whom he believes to always lead one down the right path, “You should first of all know – God give you good guidance and gently lead you to the truth!” This shows that the only trustful source of information is essentially God.  Al-Gazzali’s thinking is also similar to Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave in that both agree that reality is unable to be envisioned by humans, but rather one must experience the real world to learn.  Al-Gazzali states, “I have been constantly diving into the depths of this profound sea and wading into its deep water like a bold man, not a cautious coward.  I would penetrate far into every murky mystery, pounce on every problem, and dash into every mazy difficulty.”  This quote shows that many aspects of life cannot be grasped or even understood by humans – that we are not able to perceive life as reality.  Plato takes a similar stance on this position in stating that humans live in a world where they do not see the reality of ideas.

                     However, Al-Gazzali's thinking is different than Plato's The Allegory of the Cave in that Al-Gazzali mentioned a path towards gaining power that was significantly different from Plato’s path towards gaining power.  Because Al-Gazzali’s faith included an afterlife with Allah, after the Day of Judgment, he believed that one would have to go into the afterlife in order to learn this information.  Contrastingly, Plato stated that it was fully possible for one to gain this knowledge, but via mediation or isolation/disengagement from society.  This may have been attributed to the fact that Pluto saw no reason to mention any afterlife in his reasoning (this could have been because he did not believe in an afterlife).  There was no final endpoint, where one’s soul would be guided down the right path in Plato’s world, while Allah served to provide judgment and guidance for those after they reached the afterlife.