What method of reasoning did Abraham use to reach Enlightenment?

Question

What method(s) of reasoning did Abraham use to discover HaShem's existence and that he is Adon Olam? I'm wondering about particular methods.

[1] http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/434682/jewish/The-Abraham-Principle.htm [2] http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2612/jewish/The-History-of-Monotheism.htm

Related (duplicate?): http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/29693/472 — Monica Cellio, Jan 06 '16 at 16:06
@MonicaCellio There seems to be some overlap, but that's asking about events, I'm asking about methods . . . Induction? Deduction? Proof by contradiction? Proof by contrapositive? I'm not wondering if Avraham went to a field to meditate when he was a child. I'm asking what specifically was his meditative process. — הראל, Jan 06 '16 at 16:30
@Danno did Monica Cellio really mean deduction: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deductive_reasoning ? — הראל, Jan 06 '16 at 16:36
I can't speak for anyone else, but the way the chabad site tells the story, Abe started with the premise that the Sun was the god-power, but then it set so he deduced that it was not the god power. The same happened with the moon as god-power. Repeat. So you end with "all observed things are not the ultimate creative power" and "all seen things must have been created by a creative power" moving to "one unseen thing must have made all observable powers". I guess. I failed logic in college. — rosends, Jan 06 '16 at 16:45
Are you asking about monotheism vs. atheism, monotheism vs. polytheism, monotheism vs. deism, monotheism vs. agnosticism...? — Loewian, Jan 06 '16 at 19:18
Not asking about any of those 'isms', did Abraham go through, analyze and discard each one of them before arriving at Judaism? I know he considered solatry and lunalatry from the sources I cited. But I suppose he must have started with polytheism being born into a polytheistic household and a polytheistic society. — הראל, Jan 06 '16 at 19:39
the shaar yichud of chovos halevavos has a systematic logical inquiry into this subject. the manoach halevavos commentary says in ch.10 "the truly wise have a single, common viewpoint, and all of them grasp exactly the same matter with only these few hints, according to what is fitting and possible for them, because the false and erroneous ways are numerous but there is only one way of truth." — ray, Jan 07 '16 at 20:24
@ray Does Shaar Yichud of Chovos assert that its method was Avraham's? — הראל, Jan 07 '16 at 20:46
@KinnardHockenhull well he did use logical inquiry and it all winds up to one place as the commentary there explains. the shaar yichud has multiple approaches from logical and also from the wisdom and interconnection of nature. they all lead to same conclusion. avraham probably also considered all evidence including wisdom in nature, inquiry into the unity, etc. — ray, Jan 07 '16 at 20:51
@KinnardHockenhull I didn't mean formal deduction, and I've now clarified that answer. I've heard the explanation that Danno mentioned, that Avraham went through a bunch of naturally-observable entities and determined that each of them couldn't be in charge of the world, but I don't know how he decided that someone must be in charge in the first place. — Monica Cellio, Jan 08 '16 at 02:36

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 07 '16 at 22:06

the shaar yichud of chovos halevavos has a systematic logical inquiry into this subject. the manoach halevavos commentary says in ch.10 "the truly wise have a single, common viewpoint, and all of them grasp exactly the same matter with only these few hints, according to what is fitting and possible for them, because the false and erroneous ways are numerous but there is only one way of truth."

the shaar yichud has multiple approaches from logic and also from the wisdom and interconnection of nature. they all lead to same conclusion. Avraham probably also considered all evidence including wisdom in nature, inquiry into the Unity, etc.

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 06 '16 at 17:11

1

The Rambam describes his method as being essentially Occam's Razor:

התחיל לחשוב ביום ובלילה והיה תמיה היאך אפשר שיהיה הגלגל הזה נוהג תמיד ולא יהיה לו מנהיג ומי יסבב אותו כי אי אפשר שיסבב את עצמו "He began to think day and night, and he was in wonder: How is it possible that the world could run itself and there wouldn't be someone controlling it? Who is making the world go round? Could it be possible that it runs itself?" Indeed, the Midrash gives a more specific scenario where he would use the same method of logic.

answered Jan 06 '16 at 17:11

Chaim

4,349
15
29

Your translation is too politically correct, at least wright it is refuring to the rotation of the orbits since the stars(planets) can not rotate themselves someone must be rotating them – hazoriz Jan 06 '16 at 17:20
@hazoriz That is what his translation says... – Daniel Jan 06 '16 at 17:23
This is an interesting idea from the Rambam. In Abraham's time, this was indeed the simplest explanation for the world working, but nowadays many of the same questions have scientific answers which require fewer assumptions. If Rambam's explanation of Avraham's thinking were correct, perhaps Avraham would not have believed in God had he lived in a scientific time. I present this not as a challenge to you, Chaim, since your presentation does indeed seem to be representative of the Rambam, but rather as a challenge to the Rambam himself. – Daniel Jan 06 '16 at 17:27
@Daniel Whos translation? Alternative translation After this mighty man was weaned, he began to explore and think. Though he was a child, he began to think [incessantly] throughout the day and night, wondering: How is it possible for the sphere to continue to revolve without having anyone controlling it? Who is causing it to revolve? Surely, it does not cause itself to revolve., source halocho 3 – hazoriz Jan 06 '16 at 17:29
@hazoriz How is that translation substantively different from the one provided here? – Daniel Jan 06 '16 at 17:33
@Daniel (to "protect" the Rambam) now we even have the knowledge of the "expanding universe" for it to expand it needs energy, the idolatry of our time tries to invent ways how to explain this energy is an accident (a child that was not brainwashed can see that logically this energy is not by accident) – hazoriz Jan 06 '16 at 17:34
@Daniel many of the same questions have scientific answers which require fewer assumptions, I do not know of any – hazoriz Jan 06 '16 at 17:48
3

I don't see how that is Occam's razor. – Double AA Jan 06 '16 at 18:26
@hazoriz Your problem is my translation of גלגל as world instead of sphere? For precision's sake, wouldn't epicycle be most accurate? And even if so, why would that piece of information be necessary for the subject matter at hand? The point Rambam is making is how he couldn't understand how the choose-your-word-for-world could exist without something providing it the energy for said existence. The logic is as sound whether discussing epicycles or the universe itself. – Chaim Jan 06 '16 at 22:41
@Chaim Sorry epicycle is the wrong word , – hazoriz Jan 06 '16 at 22:44
@Chaim See the first book chaper 1 Halacha 5 http://m.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/904960/jewish/Yesodei-haTorah-Chapter-One.htm and chapter 3 http://m.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/904969/jewish/Yesodei-haTorah-Chapter-Three.htm , (epicycles are used to explain the exact moment of the sun and moon from our point of view) – hazoriz Jan 06 '16 at 22:57
@hazoriz See here where גלגל is used to mean epicycle: http://www.sefaria.org/Guide_for_the_Perplexed,_Part_2.24 – Chaim Jan 06 '16 at 23:46
@Chaim גלגל הקף – hazoriz Jan 06 '16 at 23:49
@Chaim גלגל הקף -epicycles. או - or גלגל יוצא חוץ למרכז - excentric spheres או שניהם יחד - or a combination of both. – hazoriz Jan 06 '16 at 23:58
@Chaim A sposific type of galgal, do not worry I gave you a +1 anyway – hazoriz Jan 07 '16 at 00:03
@hazoriz Lol. Although I think it's pretty clear that the Rambam uses Galgal as a general term referring to the various epicycles, such as in Hilchos Yesode HaTorah: https://he.m.wikisource.org/wiki/רמב"ם_הלכות_יסודי_התורה_ג – Chaim Jan 07 '16 at 00:04
@Chaim I think you are wrong galgal is a circle, galgal hekef is a epicycle, how will you explain the 9th galgal in Halacha 1 as an epicycle I think everyone will agree that it is not an epicycle it is a circle/sphere (since the not exactness of the turn is very small). What is the difference of galgal and galgal hekef according to you? – hazoriz Jan 07 '16 at 00:11
This makes me wonder what the Jewish position on Heliocentrism is . . . – הראל Jan 07 '16 at 16:35
@KinnardHockenhull See http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/49177/5120 – hazoriz Jan 07 '16 at 22:45

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Jan 07 '16 at 23:25

From a Torah perspective, he didn't need to discover the answer, he just needed to un-learn the un-answer given by his parents et al.

According to Rav Hutner, he did this by extrapolating the middas ha'chesed he found within himself to its source.

I.e. he discovered ha'adam nivra be'tzelem, and he found the nimshal of the mashal of his own life.

What method of reasoning did Abraham use to reach Enlightenment?

3 Answers3