Violence: Rationality and Reasonableness

1The influence of the Greek heritage (Hellenism) on human civilization is both indelible and undeniable. One major component of this heritage is the systematic employment of the mind in the pursuit of knowledge, both theoretical and practical –sometimes described as the “rational” or “rationalist” (as opposed to “mythical”) approach of trying to understand the world and to dealing with it. By the time the Islamic World “came into its own” in the 8 and 9 centuries, and theologians of different hues began to extol the unique virtues of the revelatory knowledge introduced to the world by the Holy Qur’an, a debate began to take shape concerning the comparative status or value of the two species or bodies of knowledge which now seemed to “compete” with one another –the rational and the revealed. Meanings of terms such as “rational” and “knowledge” had to be analyzed seriously and in depth. After all, could one hold a revealed truth or item of knowledge not to be rational? Does Faith altogether exclude Reason? On the other hand, can items of knowledge be founded on Articles of Faith? Can theology itself be considered a “scientific” discipline, containing knowledge? Or is it simply a collection of fables?