Integrating Al-Ghazali’s Insights of Soul to the Study of Human Cognition

Abstract

Al-Ghazali (1058-1111), one of the most influential scholars in Islamic intellectual history, offered profound insights to the understanding of the human soul (nafs) through his integrative approach. This paper explores Al-Ghazali’s intellectual legacy, with a focus on his conception of the soul drawing from his biography and corpus of works such as Ihya' Ulum al-Din (The Revival of the Religious Sciences) and Maʿārij al-Quds fī Madārij Maʿrifat al-Nafs (The Ascension of the Holy in the Steps of Knowing the Soul). The discussion traces Al-Ghazali’s philosophical thoughts on the epistemological, ontological and axiological perspectives underpinning his conception of soul. The final section considers the contemporary relevance of Al-Ghazali’s thought to the modern study of human cognition. This paper calls for a renewed engagement with classical Islamic conceptions of human nature to expand the epistemological boundaries of the modern study of mind and behavior.