Uitspraak van verwijderd op woensdag 9 mei 2012 om 17:53:
Maakt me wel nieuwsgierig om ook eens wat vaker dingen van Christelijke godsdienstfilosofen te lezen en hun ideeën. Dat lees ik nou eigenlijk nooit/
Ik heb gezien dat ze de laatste tijd steeds vaker Islamitische argumenten gaan gebruiken, afgeleid van de Kalam natuurlijk
Maar dan in n Christelijk jasje
Denk dat de Christelijke filosofen de waarde van Kalam argumenten inzien en hoe effectief ze kunnen zijn tegen atheisten
De man komt btje arogant over vind ik, net iets te zeker van zichzelf: "Noem je optie, ik bespreek ze allemaal!"
Alsof ie alles helemaal doorgrond heeft, kan.. maar lijkt me sterk
Toch wel btje benieuwd naar zijn boekie, juist omdat ie zo zeker is van zichzelf
De argumenten van atheisten vind ik namelijk behoorlijk oninteressant worden en ook al worden ze in in boekvorm uitgebracht door moderne wetenschappers.. meestal zijn ze eeuwen-oud en lang geleden al weerlegd
Ik ken trouwens geen een fatsoenlijke refutatie op Al Ghazali's werk

En ik blijf hem als n zwaargewicht zien onder de intellectuelen (op dit gebied)
De man was n genie, zn boek "The incoherence of the philosofers" is n vrij pittig werk om te begrijpen, laat staan weerleggen
Hij werd zelfs in t Westen tot de top 5 grootste intellectuele denkers ooit gerekend
Zijn boek (een hele reeks boeken eigenlijk) de "Ihya" wordt gezien als n meesterwerk, wat elk aspect van de Islamitische religie en de toepassing ervan tot in detail bespreekt
Zijn bijnamen waren "Het zegel der filosofen" en "Het bewijs voor de waarheid van Islam"
Dan moet meneer Philipse van goede huize komen denk ik, om dit soort werken compleet te weerleggen
Plus! Als je Al Ghazali's leven bekijkt zul je n vroom man zien, die veel meemaakte en nog meer bereikte.. dat weegt voor mij heel zwaar mee wanneer ik boeken beoordeel
Ben daarom niet zo onder de indruk van Herman zn zekerheid

Mister scientist
Now, I have observed that there is a class of men who believe in their superiority to others because of their greater intelligence and insight. They have abandoned all the religious duties Islam imposes on its followers. They laugh at the positive commandments of religion which enjoin the performance of acts of devotion, and the abstinence from forbidden things. They defy the injunctions of the Sacred Law. Not only do they overstep the limits prescribed by it, but they have renounced the Faith altogether, by having indulged in diverse speculations, wherein they followed the example of those people who "turn men aside from the path of God, and seek to render it crooked; and who do not believe in the life to come." The heresy of these people has its basis only in an uncritical acceptance — like that of the Jews and the Christians — of whatever one hears from others or sees all around. They could not avoid it; for they were born into an un-Islamic atmosphere, and their ancestors had pursued no better ways. In the second place, such heresy results from theoretical inquiries which are the outcome of stumbling — sceptically, misguidedly and stupidly — upon fanciful notions. (A similar case is that of the Disputants who discussed the questions concerning faith and belief raised by the People of willful Innovations.)
The heretics in our times have heard the awe-inspiring names of people like Socrates, Hippocrates, Plato, Aristotle, etc. They have been deceived by the exaggerations made by the followers of these philosophers — exaggerations to the effect that the ancient masters possessed extraordinary intellectual powers: that the principles they have discovered are unquestionable: that the mathematical, logical, physical and metaphysical sciences developed by them are the most profound: that their excellent intelligence justifies their bold attempts to discover the Hidden Things by deductive methods ; and that with all the subtlety of their intelligence and the originality of their accomplishments they repudiated the authority of religious laws: denied the validity of the positive contents of historical religions, and believed that all such things are only sanctimonious lies and trivialities.
When such stuff was dinned into their ears, and struck a responsive chord in their hearts, the heretics in our times thought that it would be an honour to join the company of great thinkers for which the renunciation of their faith would prepare them. Emulation of the example of the learned held out to them the promise of an elevated status far above the general level of common men. They refused to be content with the religion followed by their ancestors. They flattered themselves with the idea that it would do them honour not to accept even truth uncritically. But they had actually begun to accept falsehood uncritically. They failed to see that a change from one kind of intellectual bondage to another is only a self-deception, a stupidity. What position in this world of God can be baser than that of one who thinks that it is honourable to renounce the truth which is accepted on authority, and then relapses into an acceptance of falsehood which is still a matter of blind faith, unaided by independent inquiry? Such a scandalous attitude is never taken by the unsophisticated masses of men; for they have an instinctive aversion to following the example of misguided genius. Surely, their simplicity is nearer to salvation than sterile genius can be. For total blindness is less dangerous than oblique vision.
When I saw this vein of folly pulsating among these idiots, I decided to write this book in order to refute the ancient philosophers. It will expose the incoherence of their beliefs and the inconsistency of their metaphysical theories. It will bring to light the flimsiest and the obscurest. elements of their thought which will provide some amusement for, and serve as a warning to, the intelligent men. (I mean those things which they contributed to beliefs and opinions, and by virtue of which they thought they could be distinguished from the common men.)
Moreover, this book will set forth the doctrines of the ancient philosophers as those doctrines really are. This will serve the purpose of making it clear, to the hide-bound atheists of our day that every piece of knowledge, whether ancient or modern, is really a corroboration of the faith in God and in the Last Day. The conflict between faith and knowledge is related only to the details superadded to these two fundamental principles, the two recurring themes in the teachings of all the prophets — i.e., divinely ordained persons the truth of whose mission is evident from the miracles they performed. It was only a few persons having irresponsible views and perverted minds who denied these principles. But in serious discussions no importance can be attached to such persons; and no notice ought to be taken of them. And they must be branded with diabolical perversity and stupid contumacy, so that their example may be a deterrent to people who tend to think that a vainglorious conversion to unoriginal heresy would be an indication of intelligence and good sense. This book is going to demonstrate that the ancient philosophers, whose followers the atheists in our day claim to be, were really untainted with what is imputed to them. They never denied the validity of the religious laws. On the contrary, they did believe in God, and did have faith in His messengers; although in regard to the minor details, they sometimes faltered and went astray, and caused others to go astray, from the even path. We propose to show how they slipped into error and falsehood. But our examination will not obscure their solid achievements which lie beneath the repulsive facade of their thought. Let God be the sustainer and the helper in the investigations we have undertaken.