The Methodology of the Social Thought of Ibn Rushd

This paper is concerned with the methodology of the social thoughts of Ibn Rushd. Ibn Rushd was one of the philosophers of the Western part of the Islamic world and one of the commentators of Aristotle’s works. His methodology was different from that of the philosophers of the Eastern part of the Islamic world, such as Ibn Sina. His growth in a family of scholars and the occupation of significant governmental positions provided grounds for his academic promotion and the propagation of his thoughts about the issues of his time. Monotheism and the belief in the prophecy in addition to teleology and the belief in the intellect and revelation—as two important epistemic sources—were influential principles on his methodology and thoughts. Interpretation, demonstration and the critical method were Ibn Rushd’s methodological guides to which he was committed and which he followed in his social thoughts. The reconciliation between religion and philosophy and the illustration of the utopia were problems to which he answered by using these methods.