Publisher Description

Ruth Glasner presents an illuminating reappraisal of Averroes' physics. Glasner is the first scholar to base her interpretation on the full range of Averroes' writings, including texts that are extant only in Hebrew manuscripts and have not been hitherto studied. She reveals that Averroes changed his interpretation of the basic notions of physics - the structure of corporeal reality and the definition of motion - more than once. After many hesitations he offers abold new interpretation of physics which Glasner calls 'Aristotelian atomism'. Ideas that are usually ascribed to scholastic scholars, and others that were traced back to Averroes but only in a verygeneral form, are shown not only to have originated with him, but to have been fully developed by him into a comprehensive and systematic physical system. Unlike earlier Greek or Muslim atomistic systems, Averroes' Aristotelian atomism endeavours to be fully scientific, by Aristotelian standards, and still to provide a basis for an indeterministic natural philosophy. Commonly known as 'the commentator' and usually considered to be a faithful follower of Aristotle, Averroes is revealed in hiscommentaries on the Physics to be an original and sophisticated philosopher.

Author Biography

Ruth Glasner studied mathematics, physics and philosophy at the Hebrew University. She is currently a professor at the program for the history and philosophy of science at the Hebrew University

Table of Contents

Part 1: The Complexity of Averroes' Writing1. Description of the Corpus2. The Order of Writing3. The Changing Cultural Contexts4. Versions and Revisions5. The Late Stratum of the Long CommentaryPart 2: Averroes' New Physics6. The Turning Point of Physics VIII: The Breakdown of Determinism7. The Turning-Point of Physics VI: The Breakdown of Motion8. The Turning-Point of Physics VII: The Breakdown of Physical Body

Review

Ruth Glasners Averroes Physics reads like a good reads like a goodwho-done-it for scholars... everyone with decided interests in the history of Islamic (natural) philosophy, and, more generally, the history of science (particularly the development of atomism) will benefit from a close and careful reading of this work and will undoubtedly come away with a better appreciation of Western sciences indebtedness to the medieval Islamic intellectual tradition... no serious research library should be without it. * Jon McGinnis, Iyyun *
a meticulous scholarly study... It raises important questions regarding medieval physics and the role of medieval Arabic Islamic philosophy in the transmission and development of the medieval Aristotelian tradition. * Catarina Belo, Journal of Islamic Studies *
Glasner has written a difficult but extremely rich book, highlighting both the problems and the possible rewards facing scholars of Averroes. * Daniel Davies, Journal of Qur'anic Studies *

Promotional

An illuminating reappraisal of the role played by Averroes in the development of medieval science and philosophy

Long Description

Ruth Glasner presents an illuminating reappraisal of Averroes' physics. Glasner is the first scholar to base her interpretation on the full range of Averroes' writings, including texts that are extant only in Hebrew manuscripts and have not been hitherto studied. She reveals that Averroes changed his interpretation of the basic notions of physics - the structure of corporeal reality and the definition of motion - more than once. After many hesitations he offers a
bold new interpretation of physics which Glasner calls 'Aristotelian atomism'. Ideas that are usually ascribed to scholastic scholars, and others that were traced back to Averroes but only in a very general form, are shown not only to have originated with him, but to have been fully developed by him
into a comprehensive and systematic physical system. Unlike earlier Greek or Muslim atomistic systems, Averroes' Aristotelian atomism endeavours to be fully scientific, by Aristotelian standards, and still to provide a basis for an indeterministic natural philosophy. Commonly known as 'the commentator' and usually considered to be a faithful follower of Aristotle, Averroes is revealed in his commentaries on the Physics to be an original and sophisticated philosopher.

Review Quote

Ruth Glasners Averroes Physics reads like a good reads like a goodwho-done-it for scholars... everyone with decided interests in the history of Islamic (natural) philosophy, and, more generally, the history of science (particularly the development of atomism) will benefit from a close and careful reading of this work and will undoubtedly come away with a better appreciation of Western sciences indebtedness to the medieval Islamic intellectual tradition... no seriousresearch library should be without it.

Feature

Ground breaking work based on texts that have not previously been studied
Focuses on a key turning-point in medieval philosophy
A landmark work in the history of physics

Details