 Exponents of falsafa from al-Fārābī onwards took a different approach. They accepted that the world is eternal, although they also maintained, in accord with Islamic teaching, that God is its agent and maker. In al-Ghazālī’s view (Incoherence, third discussion [2000: 55–77]), however, because they accepted the eternity of the world (and for some other reasons), they were entitled to use these descriptions only metaphorically. Averroes tried to rebut this accusation, minimizing the difference between his position and that of the theologians (Incoherence of the Incoherence, third discussion [1954: 87–155]). He claims (Decisive Treatise; [2001: 14–15]) that faylasuf and kalām theologians agree that there are three sorts of things: the bodies that make up the world, which are caused and the existence of which is preceded by time; God, who is uncaused and is not preceded by time; and the world as a whole, which time does not precede (because time does not exist without the motion of bodies), but which is brought into existence by an agent. The only difference is that the faylasuf hold that time has been going on infinitely, which the theologians deny.