Averroes and the Enlightment

One of the most influential thinkers of the Middle Ages was the Muslim philosopher and jurist Ibn Rushd (1126-1198), known in the West as Averroes. Averroes's emphasis on critical reasoning as a tool for discovering the truth and his attempt to harmonize philosophy and religion, reason and faith, led to a rethinking of the tenets of Christianity. His work spurred on some of the great rational syntheses of Christian thought, such as Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologica. In this fascinating volume, twenty-nine scholars from both East and West assess the historical significance of Averroes and his possible role as a bridge between the divergent cultures of the modern secular West and contemporary Islam. Averroes, with his appeal to reason and his respect for philosophy, may be viewed as a medieval precursor of the European Enlightenment and as a rallying point for dialogue between East and West. Averroes and the Enlightenment brings together papers from two conferences, the first held in Cairo, Egypt, and the second at the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, New York.

Thirty-four scholars from 18 countries on 5 continents met in Cairo to debate for the first time the ideals of the Enlightenment and secularism while celebrating the approaching 800th anniversary of the death of one of Islam's greatest philosophers. This book offers a rare opportunity to learn about the contemporary Arab world and its efforts to dialogue with the West.