Averroism facts for kids
Averroism is a way of thinking that became popular in the Middle Ages. It was based on the ideas of a famous philosopher named Averroes. He lived in Al-Andalus (which is now Spain) in the 1100s. Averroes was well-known for explaining the writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle.
Averroes' books were translated into Latin. They became very popular in the new universities across Western Europe in the 1200s. Scholars, also called scholasticists, like Siger of Brabant and Boetius of Dacia studied his works. They used Averroes' ideas to explore Christian beliefs through logic and careful thinking.
The word "Averroist" was first used by Thomas Aquinas. He wrote a book where he disagreed with some ideas linked to Averroes' followers. Because of this, "Averroism" sometimes wrongly became linked to not believing in God during the late Middle Ages.
Later, in the 1800s, a historian named Ernest Renan helped define Averroism. He saw it as a strong or different way of understanding Aristotle's philosophy. Averroes' ideas also influenced Jewish thinkers. This was known as "Jewish Averroism." It was very strong in the late 1300s but slowly became less common in the 1400s.
Averroism and New Ideas
Averroes' ideas led to some disagreements. The Roman Catholic Church condemned certain teachings in 1270 and 1277. These condemnations were made by bishop Etienne Tempier in Paris. He listed 219 ideas that were not allowed. Many of these were aimed at thinkers who seemed to follow Averroes.
Some historians thought these thinkers believed in a "double truth." This meant they thought there could be one truth from science and philosophy, and a different, even opposite, truth from religion. However, Averroes himself believed there was only one truth. He thought this truth could be found in different ways. He also believed that religious texts sometimes use metaphors. People without philosophical training should believe the literal meaning.
Modern scholars have shown that no medieval Christian thinker actually believed in this "double truth" idea. It's not clear why Bishop Tempier accused them of it.
Later, the idea of Averroism changed. It came to mean that philosophy and religion are separate. But when people looked closely at the 219 condemned ideas, they found that not many truly came from Averroes. For a while, scholars used terms like "radical Aristotelianism" to describe the actual movement started by Siger and Boëthius. Today, most scholars just call it Averroism again.
Thomas Aquinas strongly disagreed with the Averroist idea of the "unity of the intellect." This was a complex philosophical concept about how human minds work.
Even after being condemned, many Averroist ideas continued. They were especially present at the University of Padua until the 1500s. You can find these ideas in the philosophies of Giordano Bruno and Pico della Mirandola. These ideas often discussed how philosophers were different from ordinary people. They also explored the connection between intellect and human worth.
Jewish Averroism
After Averroes died, many Jewish philosophers followed his ideas. One important figure was Elijah Delmedigo. Another, Gersonides, wrote detailed explanations of Averroes' comments on Aristotle. Some of Averroes' influence can also be seen in a book called Dialoghi d'Amore by Leone Ebreo. Even Baruch Spinoza, a famous philosopher, was likely influenced by Averroes' writings on Aristotle.
See also
In Spanish: Averroísmo para niños
