An Adjudication Between Avicenna, Ghazālī, and Moad on the Second Avicennian Argument

This article examines Ghazālī’s critique of Avicenna’s second argument for the eternity of the world, as presented in Tahāfut al-falāsifa. While prior scholarship has addressed this debate, it often relies solely on Ghazālī’s rendition of Avicenna’s argument, which omits key details. To rectify this, the article first reconstructs Avicenna’s original argument, highlighting its nuances. It then defends the argument where necessary against Ghazālī’s objections. Finally, it evaluates a contemporary interpretation that supports Ghazālī’s critique, offering a critical analysis of its conclusions.