Humanism and the Assessment of Averroes in the Renaissance

Despite Renaissance humanists’ polemics against Averroes, interest in his writings grew during the sixteenth century. This interest was related to humanism. As Aristotelians became increasingly aware of the Greek commentators on Aristotle, many saw Averroes as an heir to the ancient tradition. Thus they believed that by reading his works they could gain access to a purer form of Aristotelianism. As a result, a number of scholars wrote commentaries on Averroes’s natural philosophical works, and the Commentator became a subject for both philosophical and philological commentary.