My Fellow Classmates,
Averroes states on page 165 that "the law has rendered obligatory the study of beings by intellect, and reflection on them, and since reflection is nothing more than inference and drawing out of the unknown, and since this is reasoning or at any rate done by reasoning, therefore we are under an obligation to carry out our study of beings by intellectual reasoning."
Although the purpose of this, which is meant to promote "knowledge of God", is fairly noble and logical in theory, it also contradicts what God told Adam and Eve to not do when they awoke in the Garden of Eden. God commanded that they not go near the tree of knowledge and to at all costs avoid the temptation of feasting on its fruit. Satan was able to persuade Eve do do just the opposite of that with the argument that eating the fruit would provide Eve with incredible knowledge, which would raise her status to that of God. Therefore, the law that Averroes' speaks of in the passage above defies God's law, because it argues that the pursuit of all unknown knowledge is good. Although the Qur'an "[urges] the study of totality of beings", modern day Turkey and Iran, the two most largest Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East, are not very scientifically or technologically advanced. One would assume that if the Qur'an was taken literally then most Muslims would attempt to pursue the sciences and therefore Turkey and Iran would be more modernized nations, but they are not.
Do you think that this law conflicts with what God commanded of Adam and Eve and if so if this is significant? Also, if acquiring knowledge is labeled as important in the Qur'an, then why are nations like Turkey and Iran still deemed 'third world countries'?
I cannot speak very knowledgable about modern Turkey and Iran, but I know that alot of the technological developments in Europe during the enlightenment came from the technology of Islamic countries. I think that your point about Adam and Eve is valid, but I believe that there is interpretation and incorporation of philosophy into Judaism and Christianity aswell.
ReplyDeleteAlso, here Averroes is discussing philosophy and deductive reasoning, rather than scientific or technological advancement - I think it'd be more fair to look at Turkey and Iran's evolution of ideas and their schools of thought over the centuries, especially in relation to the Qur'an and the study of Islam.
ReplyDeleteThe Qur'an does mention Adam and the Old Testament creation story, but I think it's fair to say the Muslim God has a different characterization than the Old Testament one. Maybe Allah encouraged enlightenment and open thought, while the Old Testament god opted for blind faith? I'm not too sure. It's a good contradiction to emphasize though.
You bring up an interesting point I did not catch when reading the first time. I never thought to compare his push for more understanding to the forbidden fruit of knowledge in Genesis, but the contrast clearly exists. I do think, however, that the different perspectives of God that are seen in the different texts provides the explanation for the difference, and I think that Muslims familiar with both texts would see this. As for the lack of modern technology being seen as a lack of knowledge, that is just as much a failure of the ruling power to properly invest resources, and as Hannah pointed out, in the past, during the time Islam was spreading, Islamic cities were often massive centers of culture and learning. The fact that has diminished now is more a testament to how all nations rise and decline, I believe.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting idea, because if you say that this pursuit of knowledge goes against the teachings of the old testament, do you not take away the ability to read into and interpret texts? If it is true that we should not pursue knowledge, does this mean that the Qur'an should be studied in a literal context and not interpreted?
ReplyDeleteGod, knowing if they did they would have the same knowledge as himself, told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of knowledge. I think we're talking about two different kinds of knowledge: one theological and one scientific, in which Adam and Eve received theological knowledge while Averroes is fighting for the expansion of scientific discovery. The countries in the Middle East are not as developed as the US or other countries due to the constant raiding and imperialism that went on in the middle ages and until now. Just as in Africa and South America, the Middle East's progress in the world is stumped because of the imperialism that took place throughout its history, which tore its governmental infrastructure out of the ground again and again. Also, we cannot accurately describe the Middle East as a third world country specifically based upon its scientific development since a lot more statistics and categories go into making that figure. In conclusion, religions change over the years. Since Christianity has changed so much over the past millennium, we cannot rightfully compare and contrast Christianity 4,000 years ago, the age of Adam, and Christianity today.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Asthen's views of the different gods. One possibility is that the Old Testament God might have been trying to promote blind faith because he felt that he knew what was best for his creation, thus forbidding Adam and Eve from eating the fruit. I think the Muslim God in the Quran promotes knowledge of the way to achieve a good life and to follow the straight path, but I don't know if this necessarily means scientific knowledge. I don't think the laws conflict, I think it might just be the different depictions of their Gods and their differing actions.
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