Tahafut Al-Tahafut. Refutacion De La Refutacion

This monumental 12th-century work, written by the Cordovan philosopher Averroes (Ibn Rushd), is a determined defense of reason against dogmatic thinking. Conceived as a direct response to Al-Ghazali's (Algacel, in the Castilian tradition) famous Tahā, fut al-Falā, sifa (The Refutation of the Philosophers), this Refutation of the Refutation not only challenges and refutes the criticisms directed against Avicenna and Al-Farabi, but also proposes a profound harmony between philosophy and faith. Averroes argues that reason does not contradict revelation, but that both, when properly understood, lead to the same truth. With logical rigor and a solid Aristotelian foundation, he examines Algacel's attacks on metaphysics point by point, defending the role of philosophical thought in understanding the universe and God. Controversial in its time and still debated today, this book is an essential piece of universal thought. It is key to understanding not only medieval Islam, but also the great dilemmas about the relationship between faith and reason that marked the Middle Ages, both in the Islamic and Christian spheres. Brilliant, courageous, and lucid, the Cordovan philosopher invites the reader into a dialogue that transcends the centuries: essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the power of rational thought in the face of dogma. "In the face of Algacel's attack, Averroes vindicates reason as an ally of faith and defends, with unsurpassed rigor, that truth does not fear thought." Juan Antonio Pacheco, Arabist.