Abstract

This dissertation studies Ibn Rushd's doctrine of the agent intellect and the influence of Muslem predecessors, especially Ibn Sina and al-Ghazali upon him. Ibn Rushd's doctrine of the agent intellect is compared and contrasted with that of Iban Sina, showing the differences in their interpretation of the agent intellect and its function in the act of knowledge. The method employed in this study will be both historical and analytical. ;The introductory chapter provides a biographical sketch of Ibn Rushd, a chronology of his own works and commentaries and a discussion of the influence of earlier Muslem philosophers and theologians upon him. ;Chapter II presents Aristotle's doctrine of the agent intellect and discusses Ibn Sina's and Ibn Rushd's acceptance or rejection of it; Ibn Rushd's criticism of Ibn Sina's giver of forms, and his own doctrine of the agent intellect. ;An in-depth study of Ibn Rushd, using both his commentaries and personal works, fails to prove satisfactorily any effort on his part to reconcile his philosophical teachings with his theological teachings regarding personal immortality and the resurrection of the body. In Chapter III we will study his philosophical views concerning the agent and material intellects as two eternal, immortal substances for all men, with the theological principles outlined in his own works concerning personal immortality and the resurrection of the body. ;These problems have caused some interpreters to accuse Ibn Rushd of not sincerely adhering to his Islamic religious beliefs, but of giving strong allegiance to Aristotelian philosophical teachings. These accusations will also be discussed in Chapter III. ;The final chapter gives our own insights and conclusions concerning Ibn Rushd's views on the agent and material intellects as two separate, eternal, immortal substances for all men, together with his views on personal immortaity and the resurrection of the body