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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 aim during my hours of free time after teaching the religious sciences
and writing, for at this period I was burdened with the teaching and
instruction of three hundred students in Baghdad. By my solitary reading