Q0571
“If the apparent sense of a scriptural text conflicts with demonstration, that…” — Averroes (The Decisive Treatise (Butterworth))
Verified English quotation. Primary source: The Decisive Treatise (Butterworth). Theme: understanding.
English
If the apparent sense of a scriptural text conflicts with demonstration, that apparent sense admits of allegorical interpretation.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to The Decisive Treatise (Butterworth) and files it under Islamic Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Averroes
Ibn Rushd (Averroes, 1126–1198) served as qāḍī and physician in al-Andalus while producing the most influential Arabic commentaries on Aristotle. In the Decisive Treatise he argues that the Law itself obliges demonstrative reflection; in The Incoherence of the Incoherence he answers al-Ghazālī’s attack on the philosophers.
How to read this passage
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably G. W. This passage enters that discussion through understanding, knowledge, faith.
Concepts in this quote
- Understanding
- Understanding appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat understanding as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Knowledge
- Knowledge is the philosophical study of what we can justifiably claim to know—and where certainty ends.
- Faith
- Faith appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat faith as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Averroes. (n.d.). If the apparent sense of a scriptural text conflicts with demonstration, that apparent sense admits of allegorical interpretation. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0571
MLA: Averroes. “If the apparent sense of a scriptural text….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0571.
Chicago: Averroes. “If the apparent sense of a scriptural text….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0571.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “If the apparent sense of a scriptural text…”?
The passage is attributed to Averroes, The Decisive Treatise (Butterworth). The archive attributes this English wording to The Decisive Treatise (Butterworth) and files it under Islamic Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Averroes mean by understanding?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably G. W. This passage enters that discussion through understanding, knowledge, faith.