Avempace

Avempace, also known as Ibn Bajja, was a 12th-century Andalusian philosopher, physician, and musician. His writings on intellect and the active intellect influenced later Islamic and European philosophy.

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Aristotelianism: A philosophical tradition based on Aristotle’s writings and methods. Avempace adapted Aristotle’s account of nature and intellect for Islamic philosophy.
The Governance of the Solitary: Avempace’s philosophical treatise on the solitary person’s pursuit of intellectual perfection in an imperfect society. This work presents his distinctive account of the perfected person living apart from corrupt society.
Averroes: A 12th-century Andalusian philosopher and jurist known for his commentaries on Aristotle. Averroes criticized and developed arguments associated with Avempace’s account of intellect.
Ethics: The philosophical study of right action, character, and the good life. Avempace connects intellectual perfection with how a person should live in society.
Al-Andalus: The Muslim-ruled territories of the Iberian Peninsula from the early eighth century to 1492. Avempace’s life and work belonged to the intellectual culture of Muslim Iberia.
Active intellect: In medieval philosophy, an intellect that makes potential understanding actual. Avempace used the active intellect to explain how human knowledge reaches its highest form.
Intellect: The capacity for understanding, reasoning, and grasping abstract truths. Avempace treats the development of intellect as the highest human perfection.
Maimonides: A 12th-century Jewish philosopher, legal scholar, and physician born in Córdoba. Maimonides praised Avempace and drew on his philosophical writings.
Political philosophy: The study of political communities, authority, justice, and civic life. His account of the solitary philosopher asks how a virtuous person can live in a defective city.
Zaragoza: A city in northeastern Spain, known in Arabic as Saraqusta during Muslim rule. Avempace was born and began his public career in Zaragoza.