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convinced that a man cannot grasp what is defective in any science unless
he has such a complete grasp of that science that he equals its most learned
promoter in the appreciation of its fundamental principles, and then goes
beyond to surpass them, by probing into the tangles and profundities which
the very professors of the science have neglected. Then and only then, is it
possible that what he has to say about its defects is true.

So far as I could see none of the scholars of Islam had devoted thought
and attention to philosophy. None of the theologians engaged in discussion
with the philosophers, apart from obscure and scattered utterances so plainly
erroneous and inconsistent that no person of ordinary intelligence would be


deceived, much less one versed in the sciences.

I realized that to refute a system before understanding it and becoming
acquainted with its depths is to act blindly. I therefore set out in all
seriousness, to acquire a knowledge of philosophy from books and by
private study without the help of an instructor. I made progress towards this