From islamic philosophy to european enlightenment: the influence of Ibn Rushd

This article discusses the influence of ideas of the Islamic Philosopher ibn Rushd (Averroes) on the European intellectual world and how it contributed to the enlightenment process. Ibn Rushd, through his interpretations of the works of Aristotle, played an important role in the development of philosophical and scientific thought both in the Islamic world and in medieval Europe. His views on the relationship between reason and revelation, his views defending the independence of reason and supporting rationalist epistemology, gained popularity in Western thought, especially through his works translated into Latin in the XII-XIII centuries. Ibn Rushd's works were discussed by such thinkers as Thomas Aquinas, Siger de Brabantia, and Dante, which paved the way for the emergence of a philosophical current called "averroism". His explanations based on reason were an important reference in the process leading to Renaissance thought and later to the European Enlightenment. In addition, the ideas that he adhered to that scientific knowledge could exist without contradicting religious authority contributed to the development of modern secular thought. This study examines the historical process of the transition of Ibn Rushd's ideas to Western philosophy and analyzes its influence on science, philosophy and theology in Europe. It also aims to reveal the role of Islamic philosophy in intellectual transformation in Europe by discussing the influence of its rationalist heritage on the philosophers of the Enlightenment.