One of the moments where the superiority of Islamic civilization over Western civilization dawned on me was reading about the theory of the inner senses.
In school, I was taught only about the five outer senses. While we may have discussed internal faculties...
In school, I was taught only about the five outer senses. While we may have discussed internal faculties...
...they were never mentioned as senses. The inner senses include memory, intuition, reason, and imagination.
Conceiving these faculties as senses was very fascinating, because they are - imagination is a way of perceiving the future, memory the past.
Conceiving these faculties as senses was very fascinating, because they are - imagination is a way of perceiving the future, memory the past.
Liberalism and scientism are based on the supremacy of reason and empirical observation.
Every sensory organ has its strengths and weaknesses, so the amount of emphasis liberalism puts on reason seems as absurd as exalting hearing or touch above all other senses.
Every sensory organ has its strengths and weaknesses, so the amount of emphasis liberalism puts on reason seems as absurd as exalting hearing or touch above all other senses.
This emphasis on reason and empiricism seems to be at the root of the out-of-control materialism that is destroying the West and causing vast harm to the whole world.
This is actually rooting in Christian theology, by way of Cartesian dualism.
This is actually rooting in Christian theology, by way of Cartesian dualism.
Descartes believed in a conceptual division between mind and body, and Christians already had a negative view of "the flesh" or bodily desires, exalting celibacy and excessive fasting. Their conception of paradise was also ethereal rather than corporeal.
So in a Christian context, the mind/body dichotomy lead to a belief in the superiority of mind and the ethereal substance of thought over the corporeal body, including its emotion and intuition.
So reason came to be seen as more godly, and thus a better source of legislation.
So reason came to be seen as more godly, and thus a better source of legislation.
This also led to a worsening situation for women, since they are more emotional and intuitive, while men are more rational and logical.
This perpetuated the Christian idea of women being responsible for the downfall of humanity from the Garden due to female sensuality.
This perpetuated the Christian idea of women being responsible for the downfall of humanity from the Garden due to female sensuality.
This eventually contributed to growing materialism, since reason is limited by perception. Reason cannot infer anything based on information which is imperceptible.
So the primacy of reason eventually led to a primacy of empiricism.
So the primacy of reason eventually led to a primacy of empiricism.
This was especially so since reason was unable to substantiate (and clashed with) so many aspects of Christian scripture. Using reason as a criterion/furqan eventually led to abandoning revelation as a source of legislation totally.
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