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Maimonides' Guide to the Perplexed is a classic of world
philosophy. Written in Arabic and completed around 1190, the work
is among the most powerful and influential living texts in Jewish
philosophy, a masterwork navigating the straits between religion
and science, logic and revelation. The author, Rabbi Moses ben
Maimon, commonly known as Maimonides or as Rambam, was a Sephardi
Jewish philosopher, jurist, and physician. He wrote his Guide in
the form of a letter to a disciple. But the perplexity it aimed to
cure might strike anyone who sought to square logic, mathematics,
and the sciences with biblical and rabbinic traditions. In this new
translation by philosopher Lenn E. Goodman and historian Phillip I.
Lieberman, Maimonides' warm, conversational voice and clear
explanatory language come through as never before in English.
Maimonides knew well the challenges facing serious inquirers at the
confluence of the two great streams of thought and learning that
Arabic writers labeled 'aql and naql, reason and tradition. The aim
of the Guide, he wrote, is to probe the mysteries of physics and
metaphysics. But mysteries, to Maimonides, were not conundrums to
be celebrated for their obscurity. They were problems to be solved.
Maimonides' methods and insights resonate throughout the work of
later Jewish thinkers, rationalists, and mystics, and in the work
of philosophers like Thomas Aquinas, Spinoza, Leibniz, and Newton.
The Guide continues to inspire inquiry, discovery, and vigorous
debate among philosophers, theologians, and lay readers today.
Goodman and Lieberman's extensive and detailed commentary provides
readers with historical context and philosophical enlightenment,
giving generous access to the nuances, complexities, and
profundities of what is widely agreed to be the most significant
textual monument of medieval Jewish thought, a work that still
offers a key to those who hope to harmonize religious commitments
and scientific understanding.
Can religion survive Darwinism? Do scientists entering the lab
or heading for the field have to bracket, or reject outright, all
religious commitments and convictions? Trenchantly laying out the
evidence for natural selection and carefully following and
underscoring the themes and theses of Genesis, L. E. Goodman traces
the historical and conceptual backgrounds of todaya (TM)s evolution
controversies, revealing the deep complementarities of religion and
the life sciences. Solidly researched and replete with scientific
case studies, vignettes from intellectual history, and thoughtful
argument, Creation and Evolution forthrightly exposes the strengths
and weaknesses of todaya (TM)s polarized battle camps. Religious
and scientific fundamentalisms, Goodman shows, obscure the real
biblical message and distort the deepest insights and richest
findings of Darwinian science.
Can religion survive Darwinism? Do scientists entering the lab
or heading for the field have to bracket, or reject outright, all
religious commitments and convictions? Trenchantly laying out the
evidence for natural selection and carefully following and
underscoring the themes and theses of Genesis, L. E. Goodman traces
the historical and conceptual backgrounds of todaya (TM)s evolution
controversies, revealing the deep complementarities of religion and
the life sciences. Solidly researched and replete with scientific
case studies, vignettes from intellectual history, and thoughtful
argument, Creation and Evolution forthrightly exposes the strengths
and weaknesses of todaya (TM)s polarized battle camps. Religious
and scientific fundamentalisms, Goodman shows, obscure the real
biblical message and distort the deepest insights and richest
findings of Darwinian science.
Judaism, as a religion and a way of life, has guided millions of
lives and profoundly influenced its younger sisters, Christianity
and Islam, as well as contributing major themes and norms to the
liberal and humanistic traditions of the West. Not all Jews are
religious, and not all of Judaism is philosophical; but at its core
Judaism rests on a complex of values and ideas that address the
abiding concerns of philosophy and perennial questions about the
meaning and purpose of life, the nature of the universe, the roots
and fruits of human responsibility, the character of justice, the
worth of nature, and the dignity of persons. Judaism: A
Contemporary Philosophical Investigation examines some of the
central questions that such ideas raise, drawing on the ancient and
more recent sources of Jewish thought, as viewed from a
contemporary philosophical standpoint. This book is an ideal
introduction for students of religion and philosophy who want to
gain an understanding of the key themes and values of Judaism.
Judaism, as a religion and a way of life, has guided millions of
lives and profoundly influenced its younger sisters, Christianity
and Islam, as well as contributing major themes and norms to the
liberal and humanistic traditions of the West. Not all Jews are
religious, and not all of Judaism is philosophical; but at its core
Judaism rests on a complex of values and ideas that address the
abiding concerns of philosophy and perennial questions about the
meaning and purpose of life, the nature of the universe, the roots
and fruits of human responsibility, the character of justice, the
worth of nature, and the dignity of persons. Judaism: A
Contemporary Philosophical Investigation examines some of the
central questions that such ideas raise, drawing on the ancient and
more recent sources of Jewish thought, as viewed from a
contemporary philosophical standpoint. This book is an ideal
introduction for students of religion and philosophy who want to
gain an understanding of the key themes and values of Judaism.
Negative theology is the attempt to describe God by speaking in
terms of what God is not. Historical affinities between Jewish
modernity and negative theology indicate new directions for
thematizing the modern Jewish experience. Questions such as, What
are the limits of Jewish modernity in terms of negativity? Has this
creative tradition exhausted itself? and How might Jewish thought
go forward? anchor these original essays. Taken together they
explore the roots and legacies of negative theology in Jewish
thought, examine the viability and limits of theorizing the modern
Jewish experience as negative theology, and offer a fresh
perspective from which to approach Jewish intellectual history.
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Negative Theology as Jewish Modernity (Hardcover)
Michael Fagenblat; Contributions by Agata Bielik-Robson, Idit Dobbs-Weinstein, Michael Fagenblat, Lenn E. Goodman, …
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Negative theology is the attempt to describe God by speaking in
terms of what God is not. Historical affinities between Jewish
modernity and negative theology indicate new directions for
thematizing the modern Jewish experience. Questions such as, What
are the limits of Jewish modernity in terms of negativity? Has this
creative tradition exhausted itself? and How might Jewish thought
go forward? anchor these original essays. Taken together they
explore the roots and legacies of negative theology in Jewish
thought, examine the viability and limits of theorizing the modern
Jewish experience as negative theology, and offer a fresh
perspective from which to approach Jewish intellectual history.
How should we speak of bodies and souls? In Coming to Mind, Lenn E.
Goodman and D. Gregory Caramenico pick their way through the
minefields of materialist reductionism to present the soul not as
the brain's rival but as its partner. What acts, they argue, is
what is real. The soul is not an ethereal wisp but a lively
subject, emergent from the body but inadequately described in its
terms. Rooted in some of the richest philosophical and intellectual
traditions of Western and Eastern philosophy, psychology,
literature, and the arts as well as the latest findings of
cognitive psychology and brain science - Coming to Mind is a subtle
manifesto of a new humanism and an outstanding contribution to our
understanding of the human person. Drawing on new and classical
understandings of perception, consciousness, memory, agency, and
creativity, Goodman and Caramenico frame a convincing argument for
a dynamic and integrated self capable of language, thought,
discovery, caring, and love.
Scholars of classical philosophy have long disputed whether
Aristotle was a dialectical thinker. Most agree that Aristotle
contrasts dialectical reasoning with demonstrative reasoning, where
the former reasons from generally accepted opinions and the latter
reasons from the true and primary. Starting with a grasp on truth,
demonstration never relinquishes it. Starting with opinion, how
could dialectical reasoning ever reach truth, much less the truth
about first principles? Is dialectic then an exercise that
reiterates the prejudices of one's times and at best allows one to
persuade others by appealing to these prejudices, or is it the
royal road to first principles and philosophical wisdom? In From
Puzzles to Principles? May Sim gathers experts to argue both these
positions and offer a variety of interpretive possibilities. The
contributors' thoughtful reflections on the nature and limits of
dialectic should play a crucial role in Aristotelian scholarship.
Rising calls in both the United States and abroad for theologizing
national agendas have renewed examinations about whether liberal
states can accommodate such programs without either endangering
citizens' rights or trivializing religious concerns. Conventional
wisdom suggests that theology is necessarily unfriendly to the
liberal state, but neither philosophical analysis nor empirical
argument has convincingly established that conclusion. Examining
the problem from a variety of perspectives including law,
philosophy, history, political theory, and religious studies, the
essays in Theology and the Soul of the Liberal State suggest the
possibilities for and limits on what theological reflection might
contribute to liberal polities across the globe. Theology and the
Soul of the Liberal State develops these issues under five
headings. Part One explores "The Nature of Religious Argument" as
it can inflect discussions of public policy, political theory,
jurisprudence, and education. Part Two, "Theologies of the
Marketplace," notes that theology can by turns be highly critical,
neutral, or even inordinately supportive of market operations. Part
Three, "European Perspectives," reviews and develops arguments from
Abraham Kuyper, Karl Barth, and French post-modernists concerning
how one might integrate theological discourse into the public
sphere. Part Four offers Israel, Pakistan and Tibet as "Asian
Perspectives" on how theology may comport with liberalism in
recently created states (or, in the last case, a diasporic
government-in-exile) where powerful religious constituencies make
"secular" civil action extremely problematic. Finally, Part V,
"Religion and Terror," probes the vexed relationship between
conceptions of divine and human justice, where the imperatives of
theology and state confront each other most nakedly. Collectively,
Theology and the Soul of the Liberal State suggests that the
liberal state cannot keep theology out of public discourse and may
even benefit from its intervention,
Judaism and Christianity are religions bound together by their
claims to the same biblical covenant initiated by God with Abraham
and his descendants. Yet, despite the inseparable connection
between the election of Israel and that of the church, between the
"old" and the "new" covenant, this shared spiritual patrimony has
been the source of a type of violent sibling rivalry competing for
the same paternal love and inherited entitlement. God, it seemed,
had but one blessing to bestow. It could be given to either Jacob
or Esau-but not both. In the twenty-first century, however, Jews
and Christians are challenged to reconsider their theological
assumptions by two inescapable truths: the moral tragedy of the
holocaust demands that Christian thinkers acknowledge the violent
effects of theologically de-legitimizing Jews and Judaism, and the
pervasive reality of cultural and religious pluralism calls both
Christian and Jewish theologians to rethink the covenant in the
presence of the Other. Two Faiths, One Covenant? Jewish and
Christian Identity in the Presence of the Other is a breakthrough
work that embraces this contemporary challenge and charts a path
toward fruitful interfaith dialogue. The Christian and Jewish
theologians in this book explore the ways that both religions have
understood the covenant in biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern
religious writings and reflect on how the covenant can serve as a
reservoir for a positive theological relationship between
Christianity and Judaism-not merely one of non-belligerent
tolerance, but of respect and theological pluralism, however
limited.
Holy, holy, holy! The Lord of hosts! The fill of all the earth is
His glory. In these few ecstatic words, the prophet Isaiah captured
the core of Jewish thinking about humanity, nature, and God. If the
idea of holiness generally points toward God's transcendence,
Isaiah brings it back down to earth, recognizing God's presence
throughout the world. The Holy One of Israel is a philosophical
exploration of that remarkable and distinctively Jewish idea: that
God is everywhere, yet not in space. Lenn Goodman explores what can
be meant by God's uniqueness, presence, and perfection. In a text
richly resonant with the classic Jewish sources and in dialogue
with the great philosophers, Goodman probes the ideas of
revelation, natural law, the problem of evil, the challenges and
limits of the idea of God's transcendence, and God's actions in and
through nature, including human nature. This book is a must-read
for anyone seriously interested in how our ideas about God can
inform our lives and our thinking about individual and social
responsibility and intellectual and artistic creativity and
spiritual growth.
In this updated edition of his classic work, Lenn E. Goodman
provides a concise introduction to the life and thought of Abu Ali
al-Husain ibn Abdallah ibn Sina, known as Avicenna, who was born in
the year 980 C.E. near Bokhara in what is now Uzbekistan and died
1037 C.E. in Hamadan, now in Iran.
How can we, as people and communities with different religions and
cultures, live together with integrity? Does tolerance require us
to deny our deep differences or give up all claims to truth, to
trade our received traditions for skepticism or relativism?
Cultural philosopher Lenn E. Goodman argues that we can respect one
another and learn from one another's ways without either sharing
them or relinquishing our own. He argues that our commitments to
our own ideals and norms need not mean dogmatism or intolerance. In
this study, Goodman offers a trenchant critique of John Rawls's
pervasive claim that religious and metaphysical voices must be
silenced in the core political deliberations of a democracy.
Inquiry, dialogue, and open debate remain the safeguards of public
and personal sanity, and any of us, Goodman illustrates, can learn
from one another's traditions and explorations without abandoning
our own.
Rising calls in both the United States and abroad for theologizing
national agendas have renewed examinations about whether liberal
states can accommodate such programs without either endangering
citizens' rights or trivializing religious concerns. Conventional
wisdom suggests that theology is necessarily unfriendly to the
liberal state, but neither philosophical analysis nor empirical
argument has convincingly established that conclusion. Examining
the problem from a variety of perspectives including law,
philosophy, history, political theory, and religious studies, the
essays in Theology and the Soul of the Liberal State suggest the
possibilities for and limits on what theological reflection might
contribute to liberal polities across the globe. Theology and the
Soul of the Liberal State develops these issues under five
headings. Part One explores 'The Nature of Religious Argument' as
it can inflect discussions of public policy, political theory,
jurisprudence, and education. Part Two, 'Theologies of the
Marketplace, ' notes that theology can by turns be highly critical,
neutral, or even inordinately supportive of market operations. Part
Three, 'European Perspectives, ' reviews and develops arguments
from Abraham Kuyper, Karl Barth, and French post-modernists
concerning how one might integrate theological discourse into the
public sphere. Part Four offers Israel, Pakistan and Tibet as
'Asian Perspectives' on how theology may comport with liberalism in
recently created states (or, in the last case, a diasporic
government-in-exile) where powerful religious constituencies make
'secular' civil action extremely problematic. Finally, Part V,
'Religion and Terror, ' probes the vexed relationship between
conceptions of divine and human justice, where the imperatives of
theology and state confront each other most nakedly. Collectively,
Theology and the Soul of the Liberal State suggests that the
liberal state cannot keep theology out of public discourse and may
even benefit from its intervention, but that their intersection, if
potentially beneficial, is always fraugh
This book is an attempt to explain how, in the face of increasing
religious authoritarianism in medieval Islamic civilization, some
Muslim thinkers continued to pursue essentially humanistic,
rational, and scientific discourses in the quest for knowledge,
meaning, and values. Drawing on a wide range of Islamic writings,
from love poetry to history to philosophical theology, Goodman
shows that medieval Islam was open to individualism, occasional
secularism, skepticism, even liberalism.
This book is an attempt to explain how, in the face of increasing religious authoritarianism in medieval Islamic civilization, some Muslim thinkers continued to pursue essentially humanistic, rational, and scientific discourses in the quest for knowledge, meaning, and values. Drawing on a wide range of Islamic writings, from love poetry to history to philosophical theology, Goodman shows that medieval Islam was open to individualism, occasional secularism, skepticism, even liberalism.
Lenn Goodman argues forcefully that the Jewish tradition has a significant contribution to make to the general discourse on ethical issues. His goal in this book is to seek within the Jewish tradition, and in its interaction with other currents of Western thought, the foundations on which to build - without recourse to the privilege of "revelation" - public ethical theory.
How can we, as people and communities with different religions and
cultures, live together with integrity? Does tolerance require us
to deny our deep differences or give up all claims to truth, to
trade our received traditions for skepticism or relativism?
Cultural philosopher Lenn E. Goodman argues that we can respect one
another and learn from one another's ways without either sharing
them or relinquishing our own. He argues that our commitments to
our own ideals and norms need not mean dogmatism or intolerance. In
this study, Goodman offers a trenchant critique of John Rawls's
pervasive claim that religious and metaphysical voices must be
silenced in the core political deliberations of a democracy.
Inquiry, dialogue, and open debate remain the safeguards of public
and personal sanity, and any of us, Goodman illustrates, can learn
from one another's traditions and explorations without abandoning
our own.
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