The Incoherence of the Incoherence

The Incoherence of the Incoherence by Andalusian Arab philosopher Averroes (Ibn Rushd) (1126 - 1198) is an important work of philosophy in which the author defends the use of Aristotelian philosophy within Islamic thought.

It was written in the style of a dialogue against al-Ghazali's claims in The Incoherence of the Philosophers (Tahafut al-falasifa), which criticized Islamic Neoplatonic thought. Originally written in Arabic, The Incoherence of the Incoherence was subsequently translated into many other languages. The book is considered Averroes' landmark; in it, he tries to create harmony between faith and philosophy.

Background

Main article: The Incoherence of the Philosophers

In The Incoherence of the Philosophers (Tahāfut ʾal-Falāsifaʰ) (Arabic: (تهافت الفلاسفة)) the Sufi sympathetic Imam al-Ghazali of the Asharite school argued against the Islamic Neoplatonic school of thought, denouncing philosophers like Ibn Sina and al-Farabi. The text was dramatically successful, and marked a milestone in the ascendance of the Asharite school within Islamic philosophy and theological discourse. It was preceded by a summary of Muslim Neoplatonic thought titled: Aims of the philosophers Maqasid al-falasifah.

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 like physics, logic, astronomy or mathematics. His only axe to grind was with metaphysics, in which he claimed that the philosophers did not use the same tools, namely logic, which they used for other sciences.

The book brings out contradictions in the thoughts of philosophers about God and the universe, favoring faith instead. In some ways, it can be seen as a precursor to Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason.

Contents

Averroes' (Ibn Rushd) response defends the doctrines of the "philosophers" and criticizes al-Ghazali's own arguments. It is written as a sort of dialogue: Averroes quotes passages by al-Ghazali and then responds to them. This text was not as well received by the wider Islamic audience.

Summary

Averroes 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.

External links

• full text available — muslimphilosophy.com