The Islamic Scholar Who Gave Us Modern Philosophy (Averroes)

               When study philosophy (probably in college, not before), we usually focus on "western" philosophers, believing they were the ones who gave us Modern Philosophy. However, most of the things we know nowadays about philosophy, were preserved and improved by "eastern" philosophers (like Averroes), when Western Europe was uninterested on it. In this case, the author, Robert Pasnau, gave us the example of Morocco, one of many Islamic countries, where almost everyone, from pharmacists to cab drivers, have a basic grasp of what philosophy is . On the other hand, in the United States, even well-educated persons just have vague ideas of what philosophy actually consists.

               I consider this last example, as the best description of what philosophy is on these days. On one side, we have Islamic countries, where people actually live philosophically (they know about philosophy, and sometimes is part of their religion), because it has been there since the beginning of time. In the other side, we have the "occidental world" (Western Europe and North and South America), where for centuries we paid to attention to preserve ancient philosophy, and for that reason, we are currently suffering the consequences.   

               There is where I wanted to get, to review one of the greatest Islamic philosopher, Averroes (or Abu al-Walid Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Rushd). He was born in 1126 at the far western edge of the Islamic world, in Cordoba Spain.

               He was a brilliant person; however, he had little influence in the Islamic world. Moreover, he wanted (in his own way) to mix philosophy with religion, and, in particular, he promoted logic as the key to a true understanding of religion. The three Averroes's heterodox views are:

ü  He contends that both philosophy and the text of the Qur'an point toward the conclusion that the world has always existed in some form or another (the world has eternally existed, just as God himself has)

ü  He contends that although our souls survive death, our bodies do not, and will not be resurrected.

ü  He denies that we each posses our own intellect (Intellect is something separate from our souls, some singular, immaterial thing that we are able to access when we think, and that we all share)  

               Each of these views was disputed, and widely regarded as heretical. Furthermore, he disagrees with Al-Ghazali (a muslin theologian, philosopher, and jurist of Persian descent), he insists that there can be no conflict between philosophy and faith: "Truth does not contradict truth."  

               Averroes make an interesting and subtle concession-he accepts that not everyone is suited to pursue religious questions in the way that philosophy demands. Following Al-Ghazali, he distinguishes between "the people of demonstration" and "the people of rhetoric"-that is, between the few who are able to pursue philosophical reasoning, and the vast majority, who can only follow simple and superficial teachings.

               Finally, one of the most important philosophers of all times, Thomas Aquinas, was against Averroes's ideas. He argued that the world has not always existed, but was brought into existence anew God, that the very bodies we posses now will be resurrected in the life to come, and that we reach posses our own intellect, making us distinct individuals with our own individual destiny.