Editorial biography
Ibn Bajja (1085-1138), known in Latin as Avempace, was an Andalusian Muslim philosopher who significantly influenced medieval thought on the relationship between reason and faith. Based in Saragossa, he developed a distinctive philosophical system that integrated Aristotelian philosophy with Islamic theology. His major work, "The Governance of the Solitary," explores how the philosopher can achieve union with the Active Intellect, which he identified with divine knowledge. Ibn Bajja argued that human reason could independently arrive at truths about God's existence and nature without relying solely on revelation. He posited that intellectual perfection constitutes the highest form of worship and the means of approaching the divine. His rationalist approach to theology influenced later Islamic philosophers, particularly Ibn Tufayl and Ibn Rushd, and through Latin translations, impacted Christian scholastic discussions about natural theology and the limits of human knowledge concerning God.