Averroes and Maimonides: Translating Religious Motives into Philosophy

Ali Benmakhlouf

February 19, 2026

UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies Los Angeles, CA

The UM6P – Center for African Studies (CAS) is pleased to highlight the participation of Professor Ali Benmakhlouf in the Averroes Lecture Series hosted by the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies On February 19, 2026.

In his lecture, “Averroes and Maimonides: Translating Religious Motives into Philosophy,” he examines how two major 12th-century thinkers approached a shared intellectual challenge: transforming religious motifs into structured philosophical argument. Their responses differed and it is precisely in those differences that the debate becomes illuminating.