batch.motif.sufi-al-ghazzali-confessions-field-gutenberg-l794-l869
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-al-ghazzali-confessions-field-gutenberg-l794-l869
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/confessions-al-ghazzali-field.md
passage_locator:
label: THE SUBTERFUGES OF THE SOPHISTS / THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SEEKERS AFTER TRUTH
/ THE AIM OF SCHOLASTIC THEOLOGY AND ITS RESULTS / DIVISIONS OF THE PHILOSOPHIC
SCIENCES; lines 794-869
start: '794'
end: '869'
translation: The Confessions of Al Ghazzali
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: truth does not cease to be true because it is found among them.
summary: The passage argues that doctrines should be judged by truth rather than
by the reputation or errors of those who teach them. It warns against rejecting
valid moral or religious insights merely because they appear in philosophic, Christian,
or suspect writings. Through examples of gold in earth, coin-assaying, diving,
serpents, and honey in a cupping glass, it distinguishes the wise discerner from
the ignorant or overconfident reader and identifies the peril involved in opposing
philosophy indiscriminately.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A narrow-minded opponent may reject all teachings from philosophers because
some of their writings contain unsupported theories.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The passage states that truth remains true even when found among those considered
erroneous or infidel.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Ali son of Abu Talib is cited as advising that one should first find the truth
and then recognize those who follow it.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: A wise man examines doctrines after possessing the truth and accepts what
he finds true without focusing on whether the teacher is sincere or deceptive.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: The passage compares extracting truth from errors to finding gold buried in
the earth and to separating good coins from bad coins.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The passage says the unskilled swimmer should be kept away from the seashore,
the child from serpents, but not the expert diver or charmer.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: Many people are described as overconfident in their ability to distinguish
true from false and safety from error.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: Some objectors claim the author's maxims are borrowed from ancient philosophers,
while the author says they come from his meditations, religious law, and especially
Sufi writings.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: The passage argues that reasonable opinions supported by proofs and not contradicting
the Koran or traditions should not be rejected even if philosophers or impostors
have proclaimed them.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:10
text: The passage compares truth in suspect writings to honey placed in a surgeon's
cupping glass, saying the honey does not become impure through the vessel.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:11
text: The passage concludes that judging truth by its professors rather than judging
people by the truth they profess is an extreme error and a peril connected with
philosophy's opponents.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: narrow-minded man
description: A person who rejects a whole body of teaching because some teachers
are in error.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Christians
description: Used as an example of people whose profession of one God and Jesus
as prophet should not be rejected solely because it proceeds from them.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ali the son of Abu Talib
description: Cited as the Prince of believers who gives a maxim about seeking truth
before judging men.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: wise man
description: A person who takes truth as guide, examines doctrines, and accepts
what is true regardless of the teacher.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: skilled coin-assayer
description: An experienced evaluator who can put his hand into a false coiner's
purse and separate good coins from bad.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: coiner of false money
description: A maker or holder of false money whose purse may nevertheless contain
coins to be assessed.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: ignorant rustic
description: A person contrasted with the experienced assayer, asking why one should
have dealings with a false coiner.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: unskilled swimmer
description: A person who should be kept away from the seashore.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: expert in diving
description: A person not to be kept away from the seashore because of skill.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: child
description: A person who must be forbidden to handle serpents.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: charmer
description: A person not forbidden to handle serpents because of competence.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: objectors of inferior rank in science
description: Critics who claim the author's religious maxims are borrowed from ancient
philosophers.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: impostors
description: People who may insert true sayings into their writings to further their
cause and lead minds into error.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: bigot blinded by ignorance
description: A person with whom the wise man should not make common cause.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: undiscerning rejecter
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:7
- fig:12
- fig:14
basis: These figures reject or object without adequate discernment of truth from
error.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:2
label: example of suspect source containing true profession
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Christians are used to illustrate that a statement should not be rejected
merely because of who utters it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: authority giving maxim of discernment
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Ali is quoted as advising the seeker not to seek truth by means of men.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: wise discerner of truth
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The wise man examines doctrines and accepts what is true regardless of the
teacher's sincerity or deception.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:8
- id: role:5
label: trained evaluator able to approach danger
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:9
- fig:11
basis: The assayer, expert diver, and charmer are competent figures contrasted with
the unskilled or vulnerable.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: deceptive or dangerous source
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:13
basis: The false coiner and impostors are sources associated with falsehood or deception,
yet may be near items requiring discernment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:8
- id: role:7
label: unskilled person needing protection
assigned_to:
- fig:8
- fig:10
basis: The unskilled swimmer and child are said to be kept from the seashore or
serpents.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: truth as gold buried in earth
literal_form: gold buried in the bowels of the earth
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: coin-assaying of doctrine
literal_form: good coins and bad coins in the purse of a false coiner
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:3
label: seashore and diving skill
literal_form: seashore, unskilled swimmer, and expert in diving
associated_figures:
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: serpents handled by child or charmer
literal_form: serpents
associated_figures:
- fig:10
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs:
- serpent
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: paths of safety and error
literal_form: path of safety and paths of error
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:8
- id: sym:6
label: honey in cupping glass
literal_form: honey placed in the surgeon's cupping glass
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:7
label: truth snatched from hands
literal_form: impostors snatching truths out of hands to embellish their works
associated_figures:
- fig:13
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Rejection of true doctrine because of its source
summary: The passage describes narrow-minded people rejecting doctrines because
they come from philosophers or Christians rather than evaluating whether the doctrines
themselves are true or infidel.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Ali's maxim and the wise method
summary: Ali's maxim is cited, and the wise person is described as first finding
truth, then using it to evaluate doctrines and teachers.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Metaphors of trained discernment
summary: The passage uses the examples of gold in earth, coin-assaying, diving,
and serpent-charming to distinguish skilled discernment from ignorant avoidance
or unsafe handling.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Warning against overconfident readers of philosophy
summary: People are said to overestimate their power to distinguish truth from error,
so they should as far as possible be kept from philosophical writings because
of danger.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Defense of truths found in suspect writings
summary: The author rejects the idea that true or reasonable maxims should be dismissed
because they also appear among philosophers, impostors, or the Brothers of Purity.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:12
- fig:13
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:6
label: Honey and the cupping glass
summary: Honey in a cupping glass illustrates that a thing does not become impure
merely by contact with a suspect vessel, just as truth is not falsified by a suspect
authority.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: discernment of truth from falsehood
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage repeatedly contrasts those who judge by persons with the wise
person who first identifies truth and then evaluates doctrines and teachers by
it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: This is a philosophical-religious motif rather than a narrative mythic
episode.
- id: motif:2
label: precious truth hidden in corrupt surroundings
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Truth is compared to gold buried in earth, good coins in a false coiner's
purse, and honey in a cupping glass, each requiring separation of value from surrounding
impurity or error.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The motif is metaphorical and argumentative, not a literal quest for treasure
or purification ritual.
- id: motif:3
label: restricted access to dangerous knowledge for the untrained
taxonomy_refs:
- forbidden_knowledge
- wisdom
basis: The passage says many people overestimate their discernment and should be
forbidden as much as possible from reading philosophic writings, like a child
kept from serpents or an unskilled swimmer from the seashore.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The restriction is prudential rather than a divine taboo; the passage
allows skilled persons to approach the danger.
- id: motif:4
label: safe handling of danger by the initiated or skilled
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
- wisdom
basis: The expert diver, serpent charmer, and skilled coin-assayer are permitted
to approach danger or deception because they possess experience and skill.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not describe a formal initiation rite; the motif is inferred
from contrasts between skilled and unskilled handlers.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 794-812
quote_or_summary: A narrow-minded man rejects doctrines because they come from philosophers
or Christians; the passage says truth does not cease to be true because found
among them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/confessions-al-ghazzali-field.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary with short excerpt only.
- id: ev:2
type: quote
locator: lines 813-817
quote_or_summary: 'Ali is quoted: “Do not seek for the truth by means of men; find
first the truth and then you will recognise those who follow it.”'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/confessions-al-ghazzali-field.md
rights_note: Public domain source.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 817-823
quote_or_summary: The wise man, once possessing truth, examines doctrines and accepts
what is true without concern for whether the teacher is sincere or deceptive.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/confessions-al-ghazzali-field.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 823-830
quote_or_summary: The passage compares extracting truth from errors to gold in the
earth and to a skilled assayer separating good coins from bad in a false coiner's
purse.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/confessions-al-ghazzali-field.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 830-833
quote_or_summary: The unskilled swimmer is kept from the seashore, the child from
serpents, but not the expert diver or charmer.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/confessions-al-ghazzali-field.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 834-841
quote_or_summary: People have too high an opinion of their discernment between true
and false and should be forbidden as far as possible from reading philosophic
writings because of danger.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/confessions-al-ghazzali-field.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 842-850
quote_or_summary: Objectors claim some of the author's religious maxims are borrowed
from ancient philosophers; the author says they arise from his meditations, religious
law, and especially Sufi writings.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/confessions-al-ghazzali-field.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 851-861
quote_or_summary: The passage says reasonable, well-supported opinions not contradicting
the Koran or traditions should not be rejected merely because philosophers or
impostors have proclaimed them.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/confessions-al-ghazzali-field.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 862-867
quote_or_summary: Honey does not become impure by being placed in a surgeon's cupping
glass; impurity belongs to blood by nature, not to the vessel's contact.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/confessions-al-ghazzali-field.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 867-869
quote_or_summary: The passage says people accept words from approved authorities
even if false and reject words from suspect authorities even if true, calling
this an extreme error and a peril of philosophy's opponents.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/confessions-al-ghazzali-field.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The passage is argumentative and metaphorical rather than mythic narrative.
Motif candidates are limited to clearly supported wisdom, discernment, and dangerous-knowledge
patterns. No passage-supported external comparison claims were added.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Only provided passage text and metadata were used; taxonomy references were limited to supplied motif families and symbols.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-al-ghazzali-confessions-field-gutenberg__l794-l869
passage_sha256=76f539f901fbdccd449311613e9dff7274019a11fdff655c1fee144daffeb62e