A comparative intellectual-history article argues that Thales and the Prophet Muhammad each advanced systematic reasoning through different epistemic foundations: naturalistic observation on one hand and a revelation-reason-ethics synthesis on the other.
Key findings
- The paper characterizes Thales as advancing material-natural explanation and Muhammad as integrating revelation, reasoning and ethics. It therefore argues for plural forms of rationality and dialogue between reason and spirituality.
Why this matters globally
The cross-civilizational comparison challenges linear narratives that locate the origin of rationality solely in Greece and may stimulate debate in intellectual history, religious studies and multicultural education.
Thai researcher contribution
Coauthor Abdulghani Tehmamad is linked to Fatoni University, bringing a Thai institution in a multicultural region into an international network on Islamic studies and intellectual history.
Limitations to consider
Comparing figures from very different eras risks oversimplification and anachronism. Findings depend on source selection and translation, key terms may not be commensurable across traditions, and the abstract does not describe interpretive reliability procedures.