Algazel says:
"Second is the speculative faculty. For the soul is clarified to such an extent, that it becomes most suitable to be joined with the agent intellect, so that it is inundated with knowledge. For among souls there is some part which lacks knowledge, and another part which does not lack it. But the part that lacks knowledge is partly something which does not receive it however much it were to study; and partly something which receives it easily, and partly something which, of its own accord, comes to knowledge without a teacher. For if knowledge were examined, certainly it will be found to be the invention of souls; for one teacher does not learn from another teacher, and he from another, and thus to infinity, but it comes straight to him who learns through himself, for there is no observer, who does not find out much through himself without teaching. For first the conclusion crosses over his mind; and then the middle term is incited into understanding, as if it came into his soul, and as if he did not know from where he first perceived the middle term; and then a conclusion is presented to him, just as someone, seeing the lowest part of the descent of a stone, notices that unless there were many stages (of the descent), the stone would not have descended."
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