Averroes

In Latin Europe, the controversy over spontaneous generation of perfect animals – namely those whose breeding occurs through sexual reproduction – is received in different ways, varying from positions very close to Avicenna’s, as in the case of Pietro Pomponazzi, to interpretations that rather refer to Averroes’ perspective. To this ‘Averroist front’ undoubtedly belongs the figure of Urbano da Bologna, author of the Expositio commenti Averrois in VIII libros Physicorum – a work that can be defined a supercommentary to Averroes’ (...) Physica – composed in Bologna around 1334. The present study aims to provide the complete transcription of a quaestio that is present in the work – but which was disputed according to its author also in public – as an example of the elaboration of the theme of spontaneous generation in the early 14th century. The text deals with many aspects of the problem, especially elaborating on the correspondence between each specific form and its appropriate matter, in the light of the lively debates of the time, and reveals a mature understanding of Aristotle’s natural philosophy and its Averroist interpretation. (shrink)

Averroes' Middle Commentary on Aristotle's Metaphysics reveals the original version, previously considered lost, of a landmark work in Arabic philosophy. Undoubtedly authored by the Cordovan thinker Averroes (1126-1198), this "middle" commentary is distinct from the Long Commentary and the Short Commentary in method, several doctrinal elements, and scope (it includes books M and N of the Stagirite's treatise). These points and the transmission of the Middle Commentary at the crossroads of Arabic, Hebrew, and Latin traditions are addressed in the introduction, (...) which also establishes that the work was extensively quoted by the mystical philosopher Ibn Sab'in (XIIIth c.). The edition of the text and the facing translation follow. At the end of the book are Ibn Sab'in's quotations, along with extensive indexes. (shrink)

The 16th and 17th centuries witnessed a philosophical shift that would help pave the way for modern science, a shift from metaphysical theories of material objects to other views embracing only the empirically-accessible parts of material things. One much-debated topic in the course of this shift was regarding prime matter. The late scholastic Jacobus Zabarella (1533-1589) arrived upon his views about prime matter via his version of the regressus method, a program for a sort of scientific reasoning. In his De (...) rebus naturalibus, Zabarella defends the position that prime matter is extended. However, it is less clear how he accounts for its extension. There is an important text where he apparently suggests that prime matter is extended in and of itself. However, there are two other texts apparently stating that matter is extended in virtue of a distinct accident in the category of quantity. I argue that a decisive reading based solely upon any particular texts is not available. Nevertheless, examining Zabarella’s writing on the topic as a whole, the trajectory of his overall argument is remarkably sympathetic to Averroes, who famously took the accidentally quantified position. Thus, from this systematic feature, the accidentally quantified reading is more reasonable. (shrink)

The first of the three major thirteenth-century Hebrew encyclopedias of science and philosophy, the Midrash ha-Hokhmah presents a survey of philosophy and mathematical sciences. Originally written in Arabic, the author, Judah ben Solomon ha-Cohen, who was inspired by Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed, translated his own work into Hebrew in the 1240s in Italy when he was in the service of Frederick II. The part on natural philosophy edited and translated in this volume is the first Hebrew text to draw (...) extensively on Averroes' commentaries on Aristotle. Over several chapters, Resianne Fontaine explores Judah's ambivalent attitude towards Aristotelian philosophy. (shrink)

Averroes is well-known for his controversial thesis that there is only one separate intellect for all humankind. This article provides a detailed analysis of Averroes’s Unity Argument from his Long Commentary on De Anima, which argues from unified intelligible concepts to a single transcendent intellect. I set out the Unity Argument in its textual and philosophical context, explain exactly how the argument works on a new interpretation of its infinite regress, and offer some brief suggestions as to how it might (...) be further evaluated in light of alternative ancient and medieval theories. Ultimately, I demonstrate that the Unity Argument is Averroes’s most important philosophical argument for his distinctive view of intellect. (shrink)

In Necessary Existence and the Doctrine of Being in Avicenna’s Metaphysics of the Healing Daniel De Haan explicates the central argument of Avicenna’s metaphysical masterpiece. De Haan argues that the most fundamental primary notion in Avicenna’s metaphysics is neither being nor thing but is the necessary ( wājib), which Avicenna employs to demonstrate the existence and true-nature of the divine necessary existence in itself. This conclusion is established through a systematic investigation of how Avicenna’s theory of a demonstrative science is (...) employed in the organization of his metaphysical science into its subject, first principles, and objects of enquiry. The book examines the essential role the first principles as primary notions and primary hypotheses play in the central argument of Avicenna’s metaphysics. (shrink)

Classical Islamic thinker Ibn Rushd is widely recognized for his commentaries on Aristotle and his influence on Western Medieval and Renaissance thinkers. Understandably, his contributio...

This volume brings together world-leading scholars on the thought of Averroes, the greatest medieval commentator on Aristotle but also a major scholar of Islam. The collection situates him in his historical context by emphasizing the way that he responded to the political situation of twelfth-century Islamic Spain and the provocations of Islamic theology. It also sheds light on the interconnections between aspects of his work that are usually studied separately, such as his treatises on logic and his legal writings. Advanced (...) students and scholars will find authoritative and insightful treatments of Averroes' philosophy, tackled from multiple perspectives and written in a clear and accessible way that will appeal to those encountering his work for the first time as well as to anyone looking for new critical approaches to Averroes and his thinking. (shrink)

تناول هذا الكتاب بالبحث فلسفة ابن رشد (الرشدية) في فكر محمد عابد الجابري، واعتمدت على فرضية مفادها: إن فلسفة ابن رشد(الرشدية) تشكل حجر الزاوية في فكر الجابري، وسعىي إلى استخلاص الرشدية من بين أعماله، وتحليلها وتصنيفها، من خلال الإجابة عن سؤالين أساسيين، وهما: كيف فهم الجابري فلسفة ابن رشد، وقدمها للقارئ العربي؟ وكيف وظف (الرشدية) في أعماله الفكرية والنهضوية؟ من خلال منهجية تحليلية لا تكتفي بالوصف، وإنما تتعدى ذلك لتحليل الرشدية عند الجابري، وتصنيفها، واستخراج ما تتميز به، بتتبعها، وجمعها، وتصنيفها (...) في مختلف أعماله. وخلصت إلى عدد من الاستنتاجات، وأهمها: إن رشدية الجابري تميزت بجمعها بين مستويي الفهم، والتوظيف، ضمن مشروع واحدٍ يصح أن يطلق عليه مشروعٌ تصحيحي يرمي إلى تصحيح الصورة السائدة في الفكر العربي عن ابن رشد وفلسفته، وإن هذا المشروع مسكون من أوله إلى آخره بهمٍّ نهضوي يبحث صاحبه، من خلال التنقيب في التراث الرشدي، عن إجابات لسؤال النهضة والتقدم، وبينت أن فكر ابن رشد، هو الذي يصلح بين كل هذا التراث، ليعيش معنا واقعنا اليوم، والجابري بذلك لا يدعو إلى إرجاع عقارب الساعة إلى الوراء أبدا، وتبني المحتوى العرفي للرشدية، في الفلسفة، أو الطبيعة، أو الفلك، أو الطب؛ لعدم إمكانية استعادته؛ لإنه أصبح جزءا من الماضي، وما يدعو له الجابري هو استعادة المضمون الايديولوجي لفلسفة ابن رشد، أو أسماها "الروح الرشدية" التجديدية، والعقلانية في التعامل مع واقعنا الراهن، وقضايانا المعاصرة. (shrink)

Averroes, considered to be the greatest Aristotelian commentator in the Middle Ages, has written three different types of commentary on almost all the works of this great philosopher: short, middle and long. These commentaries have been translated into Latin and Hebrew in the early period, and profoundly influenced both Medieval Europe and Jewish thought for centuries. The effect of Averroes in the West was to spread the whole of Europe under the name of Latin Averroism. The text what you have (...) consists of some remarks about the translation of the commentary on the ‘Book Alpha Meizon’, the second book of Averroes’ Tafsīr Mā Ba’d at-Tabī’a. (shrink)

The book and its title -- Averroes' life and works -- The meaning of Averroes' work -- Being and language in the Decisive Treatise -- A sociology of language -- Averroes, the double truth and his heritage -- The Decisive Treatise on the connection between Islamic religious law and philosophy.

Averroes, un pensador cuyo legado sigue vivo -- Acerca de la felicidad y la amistad -- Sobre el deseo -- La crítica de Averroes al teólogo iraní al-Gazzali -- Los rostros del comentador -- Averroes, el filósofo andalusí que revolucionó Europa -- "Averroes recuperó el racionalismo griego olvidado en Europa" -- Apéndices.

Pourquoi Averroès? Pourquoi Averroès juriste? Parce que dans le cadre du débat avec ceux qui soutiennent le caractère indubitable du texte sacré, Averroès affirme la primauté de la raison. Il a ainsi mis en avant le questionnement, le doute dans la recherche de la vérité. Ce doute toléré dans le cercle restreint des philosophes était inacceptable en droit (la charia) qui s'applique à tous les membres de la communauté des musulmans. D'où sa condamnation et son exil. La redécouverte de la (...) pensée d'Averroès pourrait permettre au monde arabo-musulman de s'extraire du chaos. (shrink)

To start with, we should say that the book is a thesis for obtaining a PhD in philosophy from Mohamed Al-Khamis University in Rabat, Morocco, Arab Cultural Center published in its first edition in 2015 with a number of 368 pages. The book deserves to be read, beginning with the title “The Image of Ibn Rushd in Contemporary Moroccan Thought”. It is an attractive title for two main reasons: Ibn Rushd is one of the most prominent symbols of intellectual rationality (...) in philosophical culture at the human and local levels.The other reason is that we, as a diverse group, need to rationalize Ibn Rushd's rationality because it represents the solutions to our troubled, lived reality. The book is divided into four parts and twelve chapters with entries for most of the chapters. It is a study in which the author presented the opinions of Moroccan researchers studies about Ibn Rushd. In my estimation that the researcher succeeded in his study and the book deserves reading . (shrink)

The development of the Islamic world -- The education of Averroes -- Philosophy and Islam -- Law and medicine -- Remembering Averroes.

Averros︠, 1126-1198; influence; Islamic philosophy.

Muslim scholars; Saudi Arabia; biography.

Thema des Bandes ist die Averroes-Rezeption im Okzident: Es handelt sich dabei um die spezielle Verbreitung von Wissen und Ideen aus dem islamischen Raum in Europa um 1250. Die für ein Verständnis der Gegenwart brandaktuelle These lautet, dass eine vom Averroismus gestaltete Aristotelik das lateinische Christentum prägte. Ein Einfluss, der auf Entwicklungen wirkte, die in Renaissance und Frühkapitalismus gipfelten. Daran knüpft die Frage: War dieser Transfer für modernes Denken konstituierend? These ist auch, dass die Wende hin zu wissenschaftlicher Autonomie ohne (...) Averroismus so nicht hätte erfolgen können. Untersucht wird dies an Hand von fünf Denkern: Thomas von Aquin, Boethius von Dacien (samt einer Gruppe von "lateinischen" Averroisten), Meister Eckhart, Marsilius von Padua sowie Dante Alighieri. (shrink)