Philosophy › Faith and reason › Philosophy in the Islamic world (falsafa)
Averroes (Ibn Rushd)
1126–1198· Philosopher· Knowledge, logic & science
Well documentedSolid records, texts or physical evidence.
Andalusian judge and physician whose commentaries on Aristotle made him simply 'the Commentator' for medieval Christian and Jewish scholars.
See it on the Philosophy map →The idea
The idea: truth cannot contradict truth, so where proven philosophy clashes with scripture's literal sense, scripture should be read symbolically. Working in Córdoba and Seville, Ibn Rushd (Averroes) wrote short, middle and long commentaries on nearly all of Aristotle, reportedly at the Almohad caliph's request. His Incoherence of the Incoherence answered al-Ghazali point by point. He also argued that all humans share one intellect, which critics said ruled out personal immortality. In 1195 he was briefly banished and his books burned.
Why it matters
His commentaries taught Europe to read Aristotle closely, and the uproar over his views pushed Paris toward its 1270 and 1277 condemnations.
Legacy and sources
Many commentaries survive mainly in Hebrew and Latin translations rather than the original Arabic; his Decisive Treatise and Incoherence of the Incoherence survive in Arabic.
Still debated
Whether he held a 'double truth', that something can be true in philosophy yet false in faith, is doubtful; that charge was pinned on his Latin followers.
Connections (3)
▸Averroes (Ibn Rushd) wrote famous commentaries on AristotleWell documented
The connection
Averroes set out to recover the real Aristotle, stripping away Neoplatonic layers that Avicenna and others had mixed in. His long commentaries quote the text section by section and explain it line by line. Translated into Latin and Hebrew, they shaped how Europe read Aristotle for some 300 years.
When and how
Córdoba and Seville, about 1169–1195; reportedly begun after the philosopher Ibn Tufayl introduced him to the Almohad caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf, who wanted Aristotle explained.
How we know
Dozens of commentaries survive in Arabic, Hebrew or Latin; Latin scholars called him simply 'the Commentator', and Renaissance editions printed his commentaries beside Aristotle's text.
Debates and open questions
The story of the caliph's request comes from a later report quoting a student; scholars also debate how 'pure' his Aristotle really was.
▸Al-Ghazali, The Incoherence of the Philosophers was answered by Averroes (Ibn Rushd)Well documented
The connection
About 85 years later, Averroes wrote The Incoherence of the Incoherence, quoting al-Ghazali passage by passage and rebutting each. He argued that denying natural causes makes all knowledge impossible, and that al-Ghazali had attacked Avicenna's distortions rather than Aristotle himself. He also argued that Islamic law commands philosophy for those able to pursue it.
When and how
Al-Andalus, about 1180; Averroes, then a judge, wrote it around the time of his Decisive Treatise on faith and philosophy.
How we know
The Incoherence of the Incoherence survives in Arabic and in Hebrew and Latin translations, and quotes al-Ghazali's text directly.
Debates and open questions
Historians debate why Averroes's reply had little influence in the Muslim East yet great influence in Christian Europe.
▸Averroes (Ibn Rushd) stirred debate in Scholasticism and the recovery of AristotleWell documented
The connection
Latin translations of Averroes's commentaries reached Paris around the 1230s. Some arts teachers, notably Siger of Brabant, embraced his readings, including a single intellect shared by all humans, which seemed to deny personal immortality. Aquinas wrote On the Unity of the Intellect against them, and the bishop of Paris condemned such views in 1270 and 1277.
When and how
University of Paris, about 1230–1277; Michael Scot translated many commentaries; Siger of Brabant, Aquinas and Bishop Étienne Tempier were key players.
How we know
Aquinas's 1270 treatise, Siger's writings and the texts of the 1270 and 1277 condemnations survive and list the disputed propositions.
Debates and open questions
Whether 'Latin Averroists' really held a 'double truth', or their opponents invented the charge, is debated; the label itself came later.