Revealed Theology: A Comparison of Ghazali and Bacon

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran

2 Associate Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran

prt/prt.2026.71390.1008

Abstract

This article, by using a library-based and descriptive method, reexamines and compares the concept of revealed theology in the Islamic tradition of Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī and the modern Western tradition of Francis Bacon. Al Ghazālī regards revealed theology as a form of immediate, heart-centered knowledge attained through purification, ethical conduct, and inward spiritual experience (unveiling and intuition); in this view, theoretical knowledge prepares but is insufficient, and the value of knowledge is manifested in the quality of the soul's state and direct connection to the Divine. In contrast, Bacon understands knowledge as the product of empirical method and the correction of sensory and intellectual errors; rather than emphasizing a heart felt sacred experience, he insists on methodological organization aimed at discovering causes and on the utility of knowledge for improving human life. Comparative analysis shows that revealed theology carries an ethical mystical weight in al Ghazālī and a methodological instrumental weight in Bacon; although both traditions are concerned with attaining truth, the criterion of epistemic standing in one is the presence of the heart and in the other empirical demonstration and practical efficacy. The article concludes by proposing the possibility of dialogue and mutual complementation between the two perspectives and suggests that combining al Ghazālī’s ethical sensitivity and spiritual care with Bacon’s methodological rigor could provide an interdisciplinary framework for a deeper understanding of humanity’s relation to sacred and natural truths.

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