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Document Details : Title: Beyond the Organon Subtitle: Ibn Rušd on Poetry between Logic, Politics, and Religion Author(s): BULGARINI, Fabio Journal: Recherches de Théologie et Philosophie Médiévales Volume: 93 Issue: 1 Date: 2026 Pages: 103-144 DOI: 10.2143/RTPM.93.1.3295662 Abstract : According to what Osborne B. Hardison in 1970 called ‘context-theory’, Aristotle’s Poetics was regarded, from Late Antiquity through the Middle Ages, as a treatise on logic. Yet, this account of the medieval reception of the Aristotelian work does not seem sufficient. This is particularly evident in Ibn Rušd’s Middle Commentary on the Poetics, in which he analysed poetry not only from a logical, but also from an ethical and political viewpoint. A full philosophical appreciation of Ibn Rušd’s position on the art of poetry requires attention to the political and religious implications of his Poetics commentary. Through an analysis of this commentary, combined with some passages drawn from his Epitome of Plato’s Republic, the paper illustrates Ibn Rušd’s understanding of poetry as an indispensable instrument for the foundation of the perfect city. The focus on the political and ethical facets of Ibn Rušd’s interpretation of poetry will reveal how Ibn Rušd considered the Qur’ān as the perfect poetical tool, arguably the ultimate solution for educating the citizens in the virtuous political constitution. |
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