Composite Epistemology: A Structural Theory of Mind and Interactive Knowledge Formation

Abstract This thesis presents a comprehensive epistemological framework that challenges the traditional conception of mind as an abstract, transcendent entity independent of reality. Instead, it proposes a Composite Epistemology that reconceptualizes the mind as a multi-leveled system fed by diverse inputs and operating through dynamic equilibrium between perception and reality. The theory introduces the Composite Mind Model (AM–CM–CA–SM), which integrates four hierarchical cognitive levels: Abstract Mind, Composite Mind, Conscious Awareness, and Supreme Mind. Through philosophical critique, neuroscientific evidence, and Islamic epistemological traditions, this work establishes an interactive theory of knowledge that synthesizes innate disposition (fitrah), sensory perception, testimony (khabar), experience, and cognitive opposition as fundamental sources of knowledge. The thesis further addresses the problem of consciousness in scientific theorizing, proposing a rationalized idealism that views consciousness as a predictive mechanism entangled with matter, rather than separate from it. This foundational work aims to bridge the gap between classical philosophy, contemporary neuroscience, and Islamic intellectual heritage, offering a unified model for understanding human cognition and knowledge acquisition.