Celebrating Maimonides in Cairo (1935): Jewish historiography, Islamic philosophy and the <i>nahḍa</i>

The moral philosophy of Maimonides.

Maimonides (1135-1204) wrote extensively on moral philosophical matters. In his three main works, the Commentary on the Mishnah, the Mishneh Torah, and the Guide of the Perplexed, he developed a far-reaching ethical system which is Aristotelian and yet is also greatly dependent upon the Rabbinic tradition. In this paper it is argued that Maimonides presents an effective synthesis of these appar...

Maimonides, Samuel Ibn Tibbon, and the Construction of a Jewish Tradition of Philosophy

During the thirteenth century, the Jews in southern France (called “Provence” in Hebrew sources) experienced a cultural revolution. Following the arrival of Maimonides’ writings and the translation of his Guide of the Perplexed into Hebrew, a very distinctive tradition of philosophy and exegesis was developed. Basic works of Graeco-Arabic and Arabic philosophy were translated into Hebrew, in re...

Introduction: The Philosophy of Historiography

This book studies our knowledge of history, its nature, historical development, epistemic limits, and scope. In ordinary language “history” is ambiguous. It may mean past events or the study of past events (Dray, 1993, p. 1). In its original Greek historie is etymologically related to the verb “to see” and consequently to inquiry and knowledge. In other languages, “history” means a story (Le Go...

Positive reinforcement according to Maimonides, the 12th century Jewish philosopher.

Maimonides, arguably the most influential Jewish scholar ever, offers an analogy remarkably similar in ‘‘spirit’’ to positive reinforcement approaches to education. While discussing a matter of faith in his commentary on a tractate of the Talmud (see Touger, 1994), Maimonides walks the potential teacher through the essential steps of effective education. He clearly delineates the contingencies ...

The Islamic Economic Philosophy