المستخلص: |
The aim of this study is to comprehend the status of astrology and alchemy in Ibn Khaldun’s Al Muqaddima. Specifically, it seeks to determine Ibn Khaldun’s position on these sciences, which he analyzed and criticized in his foundational work, “Al Muqaddima”. We find that Ibn Khaldun’s approach to these sciences involves three levels of analysis: a) Rational and Epistemological Analysis, which examines the strength of the logical and empirical evidence supporting these sciences, b) Islamic Religious Analysis, in which he investigates the religious perspective on these sciences, c) Utilitarian and Social Analysis, through which he assesses the benefits, and drawbacks of these sciences on individuals and society. At each level of this analytical and critical approach, Ibn Khaldun concludes that the establishment of astrology and alchemy as precise natural sciences is impossible. He argues that these sciences are flawed intellectually and empirically, lacking any precise logical or empirical evidence. Moreover, they are considered religiously flawed due to their ideas and concepts conflicting with Islamic beliefs. Socially, they have significant detrimental effects on both individuals and communities. Accordingly, Ibn Khaldun rejects not only astrology and alchemy but also philosophy, natural sciences, and minimizes the significance of logic. This conservative stance represents a clear cultural and scientific regression during the 13th and 14th centuries in the Islamic West. Despite Ibn Khaldun’s arguments against these sciences, history witnessed the triumph of the anti-Khaldunian trend, as the science of astrology led to the emergence of astronomy, harmonic analysis, and ancient alchemy paved the way for modern chemistry.
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