الوصف
Abstract: It is not uncommon for modern scholars to refer to the famous Muslim Cordoban philosopher indifferently as Ibn Rushd or Averroes. The present examination of teachings on the afterlife and the human soul ascribed by thirteenth century Latin theologians and philosophers to Averroes reveals that a distinction should be made between the two. While in the philosophical writings of Ibn Rushd there is no provision for the afterlife nor for a teaching on a unity of soul for individuals, Albert the Great — perhaps the most influential interpreter of the Arabic tradition in Latin translation — misinterpreted Latin translations and attributed a doctrine of the afterlife and a doctrine of monopsychism to Averroes. At least on these issues, the distinction of Ibn Rushd from Averroes is far more than merely that of a name. Rather, it seems requisite that modern day scholars distinctly refrain from casually conflating the names and reserve Averroes for issues of the Latin tradition and Ibn Rushd for those found in Arabic writings, unless critical philosophical analysis can demonstrate an identity of understanding in both the Arabic and Latin traditions.
Keywords: Ibn Rushd, Averroes, Albert the Great, afterlife, happiness, intellect, monopsychism, De Anima, metaphysics
