Hana Damak

Philosophy

Please tell us about your research project.

I am currently in the second year of my PhD in Philosophy at EPHE-PSL, under the supervision of Ziad Bou Akl. My thesis focuses on the philosopher and theologian al-Ghazālī (d.1111), and especially on the way scepticism features in his work. 

This question involves two different aspects. The first aspect consists in analyzing the reception of Greek scepticism in Islamic philosophy, as well as how Ghazālī pictures the figure of the « sceptic » as  posing an absurd threat to the possibility of knowledge, and how he uses this figure in his polemical works against the Ismaelis. 

The second aspect draws on a broader definition of « scepticism », and consists in examining the sceptical consequences of Ghazālī’s epistemology, and especially the sceptical consequences of his redefinition of modalities and his critique of the necessity of causal relations. My working hypothesis is that his epistemology has consequences that might be considered as sceptical, such as the suspension of assent on certain important questions or the emphasis on the limits of rational inquiry. 

Could you please tell us a bit more about your scholarship/exchange programme?

I was awarded a three-month scholarship as part of an agreement between the École Pratique des Hautes Études and the Maison Française d’Oxford. This scholarship allows me to spend Michaelmas term at the MFO, and to access Oxford University’s libraries and faculties. 

In Oxford, I will have the chance to meet one of the leading specialists of al-Ghazālī’s philosophy, and hopefully to follow his teaching and research activities. It is also an opportunity to visit the British Library in London regularly, where a manuscript of an unpublished work by al-Ghazālī is held. This manuscript could be crucial to understanding his views on causality.

First impressions of Oxford/the University?

My first impression of Oxford is that it is both a very peaceful city, where you can go around by foot and easily access nature, and a vibrant and stimulating environment, full of libraries, books, and academics. The MFO in itself, as well as all the Bodleian Libraries, provide a perfect working environment.