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Volume :10 Issue : 37 1990
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Causation and Determinism at Ibn Khaldun (in Arabic)
Auther : Zahid Rousan
Compared with preceding Arab and non-Arab historians, lbn Khaldun made a new discovery in the historical methodological research. He refused historical ideal-ism or the approach perceiving a metaphysical phenomenon in society. Rather, he approached society from its internal constituents; this occurred for the first time in history in such a clear and coherent fashion. Thus, our research came to deal with the idea of causation and determinism as presented by lbn Khaldun, the idea being an evidence of his rational method.
I began this research by a brief account of the significance of cause in the history of human thought. I, thereby, prepared to explain causation as he presented it, specified its types and showed their interrelations.
According to him, causation signifies mathematical function. Ibn Khaldun ex-changes the term cause and effect, by that of dependent and independent variables. This is the most important characteristic of his scientific method which is, approximately, identical to epistimological and dialectical perception of modem causation.
Yet his concept of causation leads to determinism or canon which appear in theoretical forms; or takes the forms of necessary principles; or again takes quantitative forms.
All this has been supported by quotation from the texts of his Mugaddima.