Final answer:
Al-Ghazali believes that philosophy cannot provide certain knowledge due to its inherent skepticism, which challenges the ability of philosophy to reach ultimate truth, leading him to advocate for mysticism as the true path to enlightenment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Al-Ghazali's Argument on Philosophy and Certainty
Al-Ghazali argues that philosophy can never give us certain knowledge by emphasizing forms of skepticism. He claims that philosophical reasoning and rationality cannot yield certain knowledge about the universe or the divine because these forms rely on the categories of understanding, which shape all human experience. Al-Ghazali posits that a mystical union with God is the only path to true religious enlightenment, standing in contrast to philosophers like Ibn Rushd, who advocated for the compatibility of faith and reason, suggesting that religious texts themselves encourage reflection and rational inquiry.
The conflict between Al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd represents a classic contention within the medieval Islamic world concerning the roles of faith and reason. This debate parallels similar disputes in Christian Europe, where philosophers such as Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas sought to reconcile reason with theology. Philosophical skepticism, as proposed by Al-Ghazali, doubts the ability of human knowledge to apprehend ultimate truth, mirroring the ideas seen in various forms of skepticism throughout history, from ancient Daoism to modern philosophical thought.
For Al-Ghazali, skepticism is not merely a theoretical position but a substantive challenge to the adequacy of philosophy in attaining the truth. He emphasizes that the epistemological limitations of human understanding render the pursuit of certain knowledge through philosophy inherently flawed. Therefore, according to Al-Ghazali, skepticism leads to the conclusion that mysticism and faith provide the sole avenue for achieving certainty, especially in the context of religious knowledge.