Averroes
1126 – 1198 Andalusian philosopher, physician
The great commentator on Aristotle who shaped medieval European thought.
- Religion
- Muslim; a jurist and judge who defended philosophy against theological attack.
- Affiliations
- Judge in Córdoba and Seville. No secret society.
Averroes, or Ibn Rushd, wrote commentaries on Aristotle so authoritative that Latin scholars simply called him the Commentator. He argued that philosophy and religion are both paths to truth. His work sparked a whole movement, Latin Averroism, in medieval European universities.
Connections
- rival of Al-Ghazali — Averroes answered him with The Incoherence of the Incoherence.
- influenced Aristotle — His commentaries carried Aristotle back into European thought.