Q0573
“To deny that things have natures and that from similar natures similar…” — Averroes (The Incoherence of the Incoherence, on…)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: The Incoherence of the Incoherence, on causation. Theme: nature.
English
To deny that things have natures and that from similar natures similar effects follow is to abolish reason and science together.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to The Incoherence of the Incoherence, on causation 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
Nature may mean physical cosmos, living world, human nature, or a normative standard of what ought to be. Presocratics, Daoists, Stoics, and modern environmental thinkers share the word while disagreeing about its force. This passage enters that discussion through nature.
Concepts in this quote
- Nature
- Philosophy quotes about nature ask what the cosmos is, how humans belong in it, and whether “natural” can guide ethics or politics.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Averroes. (n.d.). To deny that things have natures and that from similar natures similar effects follow is to abolish reason and science together. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0573
MLA: Averroes. “To deny that things have natures and that….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0573.
Chicago: Averroes. “To deny that things have natures and that….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0573.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “To deny that things have natures and that…”?
The passage is attributed to Averroes, The Incoherence of the Incoherence, on causation. The archive attributes this English wording to The Incoherence of the Incoherence, on causation 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 nature?
Nature may mean physical cosmos, living world, human nature, or a normative standard of what ought to be. Presocratics, Daoists, Stoics, and modern environmental thinkers share the word while disagreeing about its force. This passage enters that discussion through nature.