The Incoherence of the Incoherence
The Incoherence of the Incoherence (
It was written in the style of a dialogue against al-Ghazali's claims in The Incoherence of the Philosophers (Tahāfut al-Falasifa), which criticized Neoplatonic thought.
Originally written in Arabic, The Incoherence of the Incoherence was subsequently translated into many other languages. The book is considered Ibn Rushd's landmark; in it, he tries to create harmony between faith and philosophy.
Background
In The Incoherence of the Philosophers, the
Al-Ghazali stated that one must be well versed in the ideas of the philosophers before setting out to refute their ideas. Al-Ghazali also stated that he did not have any problem with other branches of philosophy such as
Contents
Ibn Rushd's response defends the doctrines of the "philosophers" and criticizes al-Ghazali's own arguments. It is written as a sort of dialogue: Ibn Rushd quotes passages by al-Ghazali and then responds to them.
Summary
Ibn Rushd attempted to create harmony between faith and philosophy, between Aristotelian ideas and Islam. He claimed that Aristotle is also right and the words of Quran are also the eternal truth.
Critical reception
In Europe, ibn Rushd's philosophical writings were generally well received by Christian and Jewish scholars and gave rise to the philosophical school of Averroism.[1]
References
- ^ Al-Mawrid, 4 (9), retrieved 2008-10-14
External links
- full text available — muslimphilosophy.com