ASIPT - Basira Seminars in Philosophical Theology
An Overview of Iji's al-Mawaqif fi 'Ilm al-Kalam With Contemporary Applications
Seminar 2: Kalam, Logic, and Epistemology
Hamza Karamali gives an overview of the first of the six sections of al-Iji’s al-Mawaqif fi Ilm al-Kalam, which gives an traditional scholarly introduction to the science of kalam and then delves into the nature of knowledge, the kinds of knowledge (conceptual vs. propositional and inferential vs. noninferential), and methods of rational inference. He shows how all of these discussions are grounded in the Quran and how some of them can be used to address contemporary questions, such as the possibility of scientific knowledge and whether God is subject to the laws of logic.
These seminars are sponsored by:
Basira - www.basiraeducation.org/
ASIPT - asipt.org/
Tabah Research - tabahresearch.org/en/
Living Insights Foundation - www.livinginsights.org.uk/
Topics:
00:00:00 = Introduction by Dr. Aaron Spevack (ASIPT)
00:02:35 = Introduction by Hamza Karamali (Basira Education)
00:03:01 = An overview of the first mawqif
00:03:35 = The rationale behind the introductory investigations of the sciences
00:07:59 = The Prophet (God bless him and give him peace) called the Meccan polytheists to base their belief on evidence but they insisted on following the ways of their ancestors without evidence
00:10:10 = The definition of the science of Kalam
00:11:20 = The mutakallim gets the conclusions of his arguments from the Quran
00:13:30 = The logical classification of the traditional Islamic sciences
00:17:35 = Studying the traditional Islamic sciences means studying how to prove that its propositions are true
00:24:05 = The subject-matter of the science of Kalam is everything that relates to proving that Islam is true
00:27:16 = The benefits of the science of Kalam and the obligation of basing religious belief on evidence
00:32:00 = The science of Kalam is called "usul al-din" because the traditional Islamic sciences lose their meaning without the truth of the propositions of Kalam
00:40:30 = The Prophet (God bless him and give him peace) called the Meccans to follow evidence-based certainty
00:42:54 = In the context of Kalam, "knowledge" means "certainty" - the definition of certainty
00:54:45 = Contingency does not negate the possibility of scientific knowledge
00:56:40 = The possibility of error doesn't vitiate certainty
00:59:44 = Conceptual and propositional knowledge in the context of the testification of faith
01:06:37 = Non-inferential and inferential knowledge in the context of the testification of faith
01:08:35 = Kinds of non-inferential knowledge
01:18:46 = Scientific knowledge (inference to the best explanation or abductive reasoning)
01:28:04 = The definition of inference
01:32:50 = The first obligation of human beings is to use their minds to make inferences, not to simply believe in something without any inference
01:34:22 = God is not subject to the laws of logic but the mind reveals truth
01:38:50 = Response by Dr. Aaron Spevack
Questions and Answers:
01:45:27 = Does traditional “Ilm al Kalam” have the potential to meet contemporary challenges?
01:46:57 = Is noninferential knowledge the same as a priori knowledge?
01:48:54 = How do the late “mutakalimun” deal with the questions epistemological skepticism?
01:50:26 = Clarifying the notion of inference by the scientific method in the realm of “tajreebiyaat” and how it differs from the inference by “ilm nadhari”.
01:53:03 = Does non inferential knowledge include “fitrah”, axiomatic principles, and first hand experiential knowledge?
01:53:54 = Which category of knowledge does the prophets and messengers receiving revelation fall under?
01:54:19 = Is it correct to say that the term “aqli” has to do with what is rationally necessary like the laws of logic?
01:55:55 = How do the propositions of the social sciences fit into the definition of “mawdu’” of “ilm al kalam”?
02:02:27 = Can we have probabilistic and non-probabilistic non-inferential knowledge, as abductive reasoning is assumed to be non- certain?
02:03:53 = Does noninferential knowledge incorporate hidden reasoning?
02:04:27 = What would be the foundational knowledge needed for youth in preparation to study Kalam?
02:05:04 = Muslims have mentioned other types of knowledge as well. Why are they absent in al mawaqif ?
02:05:47 = Are the ten introductory investigations of the disciplines derived from the works of the peripatetic philosophers?
02:07:48 = When we make a distinction between kasbi and non kasbi, are we looking at distinguishing between the sabab aadi?
02:08:35 = Would it be enough to say that the laws of logic are the entailments of existence rather than creations?
02:09:59 = Is the argument from contingency easier to defend than the kalam cosmological argument?
02:10:36 = Advice for someone seeking to become master Kalam in the west.