Some Considerations on the Theory of Emanation in Alfarabi, Avicenna, and al-Ghazālī

This chapter, inspired by Edward Moad's analysis of al-Ghazālī's approach to the theory of emanation, offers a comparative analysis of that theory, according to Alfarabi and Avicenna, and assesses al-Ghazālī's response. Al-Ghazālī holds that emanation constitutes a major obstacle to a correct conception of God as portrayed in the Qurʾan. More specifically, it is incompatible with a correct understanding of God's attributes, in particular God's knowledge and will, and more broadly with God's agency. Although he criticizes both Alfarabi and Avicenna, al-Ghazālī's account of emanation is fundamentally more indebted to Avicenna's model than to that of Alfarabi

Epistemology · Traditional medicine · Families in Therapy and Culture · Islamic Thought and Society Studies · Medicine · Medieval and Classical Philosophy · Philosophy