Averroes is an outstanding medieval philosopher

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the philosophical heritage of the medieval Islamic thinker Averroes on the occasion of the upcoming anniversary – on April 14, 2026, it will be 900 years since his birth. The purpose of this work is to present and understand his work in the context of an interdisciplinary approach. First, the views of modern foreign researchers regarding the importance of the epistemological, ethical and religious concepts presented in the works of Averroes are briefly described. Then the peculiarities of the historical environment of Muslim Spain of the twelfth century, in which he lived and worked, are analyzed, taking into account the dominance of Islamic science in most Western European countries. A brief sketch of the biography of the Cordovan thinker with an emphasis on enduring severe moral trials in old age is also presented. The content of the expressed philosophical ideas of the Islamic scientist is revealed and their influence on the further development of medieval European science is substantiated. The importance of the scientific and theological direction founded by him, later called «Latin Averroism», is emphasized, the significant popularity of Averroes in the Christian environment (in contrast to the Islamic one) is explained, the evaluation of his works by medieval European scholastics is presented. Emphasis is placed on the importance of transitional time periods in the history of mankind, which not only connect eras, but also oppose them, and in this aspect, the legacy of Averroes as a person who managed to build philosophical bridges between Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance is analyzed. In his writings, the thinker expressed views that were incompatible with the prevailing ideology of the Arab Caliphate in his time, as he was distinguished by bold aspirations to actualize the human essence. He relied on the works of Aristotle available at that time, which is why he earned the honorary nickname «Commentator» from subsequent generations of philosophers. Among the Islamic scholars, he was most impressed by the worldviews of the philosopher and mathematician Al–Farabi (870–950) and partly by the theologian, physician and poet Ibn Sina (980–1037), whom he seeks to defend from accusations of impiety. In general, in his writings, Ibn Rushd (as his name sounded in Spain at the time) spoke against orthodox Islamic theologians and argued that only philosophers have the legal right to define truth and interpret laws. Averroes considered his main ideological opponent the Sufi theologian Al–Ghazali (1058–1111), who unapologetically and unfairly criticized the scientists of that time for their desire to rationally substantiate the main provisions of religious systems. In his polemical treatise The Refutation of Objections, written in 1184, Ibn Rushd insisted on the importance and necessity of studying philosophy and other scientific disciplines. During his lifetime, the arguments of the Córdoba intellectual mostly encountered a deaf wall of non–acceptance on the part of the religious orthodox who stood guard over the contemporary ideology of the Arab Caliphate. For them, to think logically meant to move in the direction of paganism or heresy. Various social aspects presented in the works of Averroes were also studied, and the originality of his religious and ethical concepts was proven. Emphasis is placed on the importance of the philosopher’s scientific works, which made a serious contribution to the history of the European Renaissance.