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20 Quotes of Ibn Rushd: The Champion of Reason

Averroes in a 14th-century painting by Andrea di Bonaiuto

Ibn Rushd was one of the most influential philosophers during his time and still remains one today for many people around the world. His philosophy is also highly regarded and has been referenced in various works such as those by Bernard Lewis, Sigmund Freud, and David Hume.

His works were translated into Hebrew in 1290, and into Latin in 1485. He argues that philosophy should be studied alongside theology and jurisprudence rather than being seen as a separate discipline.

Ibn Rushd is renowned for his commentaries on Aristotle. These commentaries were written in response to Al-Ghazali's "Incoherence of the Philosophers".

He was an influential polymath whose writings influenced Christian, Jewish, and Islamic thought for centuries after his death.

Following are some of Ibn Rushd’s quotes that provide insights into his views on creativity, intelligence, imagination, knowledge, society, etc.

1) “Man is not free from ignorance except when he knows that he is ignorant”

2)  “A society should be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable member”

3) "The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names."

4) “When a man's character stands in need of repair his own hand must be employed to do it"

5) "God has created man with his intellect intact so that he may create the world anew every day."

6) "Creativity is not just "something" that happens in some people's head - it is a process."

7)  "It is only the scientific spirit that can provide for us an impartial judgment about what we should do at every moment." 

8) "Knowledge is a light that illuminates our darkness."

9) "The intellect is only acquired in order to know things unknown."

10) "For a claim to be knowledge, it must be based on experience and cannot be based on authority alone."

11) "No matter what you do it will never be enough because there is always something more to learn."

12) "The satisfaction of one's self surpasses all other pleasures."

 13) "If you want others to know about your writing, show them your writing."

14) “The imagination makes what is true more beautiful and what is false more plausible.”

15) "The most important thing in learning is not what you learn but how."

16) "The fool says in his heart that there is no god."

17) "Knowledge begins in wonder."

18) "The more you know about your enemy, the more respectful you become towards them."

19) "There is nothing beautiful in the world except for virtue."

20) "God creates people so they can be happy." 

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