Ibn Rushd: Abū al‐Walīd Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Rushd al‐Ḥafīd (original) (raw)

Born Cordova, (Spain), 1126

Died Marrakech, (Morocco), 10 December 1198

Ibn Rushd, one of the best‐known Islamic philosophers, challenged Ptolemy's astronomical system on philosophical grounds and made interesting theoretical contributions to the Andalusian criticisms of the Greek astronomer. Along with Ibn Bājja, Ibn Ṭufayl, and Biṭrūjī, he wished to formulate a model for the cosmos according to Aristotelian principles – i. e., uniform and circular motions centered on the Earth– in which there was no need for eccentrics and epicycles. He was also an active and a first‐rate scholar in many other disciplines, including Islamic religion and law, medicine, and the various aspects of Hellenistic philosophy.

Ibn Rushd was born into an important family of religious scholars, but in addition to religious sciences, he also studied medicine and astronomy. We know little of his formative period; he probably studied in Cordova and Seville, learning medicine from a physician named Ibn Jurrayūl....

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Authors

  1. Miquel Forcada
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Science, University of Northern Iowa, Office: Latham 112, 50614, Cedar Falls, IA, USA
    Thomas Hockey (Professor of Astronomy) (Professor of Astronomy)

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