Ibn Sīnā and al-Ghazālī on Causality as Necessary Connection, and Occasionalism

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between necessity and causality in the philosophies of Ibn Sīnā and al-Ghazālī, with a focus on occasionalism. My analysis uncovers that al-Ghazālī, while critiquing Ibn Sīnā's concept of causal necessity, implicitly grasps a distinction between de re and de dicto necessity. I argue that al-Ghazālī’s acceptance of de dicto necessity, allows him to articulate a more robust principle of causality, termed here the “meta-principle of causality.” This principle forms the basis of a three-step framework supporting occasionalism, offering new insights into the doctrine.