Averroes on religious faith & reason ~ slide 1

Ibn Rushd on religious faith & reason

Ibn Rushd (Averroes): life & times 1126-1198, known in the West as Averroes Spanish Moslem, born in Cordova, Spain, &

lived his life there. At the time, Cordova was one of the most

civlized cities in Europe. Was an Aristotelian through and through.

Averroes on religious faith & reason ~ slide 2

Ibn Rushd on religious faith & reason

Defended Aristotle agains Moslem theologians, esp. Algazel (d.c. 1111) who wrote a treatise against Aristotle entitled, The Incoherence of the Philosophers.

Averroes responded with a treatise entitled, The Incoherence of the Incoherence.

Averroes together with Avicenna (980-1037, Arabic Ibn Sina) had an immense influence on Western philosophers & theologians. .

Averroes on religious faith & reason ~ slide 3

Ibn Rushd on religious faith & reason

Beginning in the early 1100s, the writings of the Greeks & Arabs began to be translated & available to the West. Immensely important. Opened up a whole new world to the West.

By the 13th century, the writings of Averroes became available to Western philosophers. His influence was so great that Aquinas often refers to him simply as “The Commentator.”

Averroes on religious faith & reason ~ slide 4

Ibn Rushd on religious faith & reason

Selection: from On the Harmony of Religions and Philosophy, in Peterson et al, pp. 71 ff. Begins with a prayer Issue discussed in the essay: Is the study of

philosophy allowed by the Law (Qur’an)? Averroes: Not only is it permitted, one is

obligated to study philosophy. Averroes’ use of “philosophy” here.Why? Because such study is the “the door . . .

which leads to the truest knowledge of Him” (74).

Averroes on religious faith & reason ~ slide 5

Ibn Rushd on religious faith & reason

One ought to come to such studies with “religious integrity and moral virtue” (74).

One ought to use the most perfect type of reasoning in studying philosophy.

• Demonstrative reasoning. Meaning for Averroes?

Truths arrived at by philosophy and those found in scripture cannot clash.What if the apparent meaning of scripture

clashes with philosophy?

Averroes on religious faith & reason ~ slide 6

Ibn Rushd on religious faith & reason

This is a clue which indicates that we ought to interpret the scripture allegorically (metaphorically).

• Thus not all of the passages of scripture can be taken in their “apparent meaning.”

• Why has scripture been revealed with both an apparent meaning and an inner meaning?

– Averroes: Because of the diversity of people’s ability to understand.

Averroes on religious faith & reason ~ slide 7

Ibn Rushd on religious faith & reason

• What if the philosopher makes an error?– Averroes: An error made by a

qualified judge is excused by God. Comments and criticisms

Remarkable similarity to ideas of Aquinas (may have been borrowed) and Galileo (doubtful that he knew about Averroes)

Problems with the ideal of “demonstrative knowledge”