The fourth part of David Solomon’s Jewish Philosophy lecture series considers three giants of Jewish thought from the Medieval Period:
- Maimonides, the Rambam
- Avraham ibn Daud
- Rabbi Levu ben Gershon, also known as the Ralbag.
David explores the centrality of Aristotelianism for these thinkers as well as the influence of Islamic culture on Western theology and philosophy, including within Jewish circles.
Some of the central ideas that David examines in this talk include:
- The Active Intellect as the agent of human knowledge
- The evolving intersection between philosophy and Judaism
- The rational and the revealed
- The attributes of the Divine
- The concept of Tselem
- Prophecy
- Miracles
- The relationship between science, philosophy, and revelation
- The eternity of the world
- The proof for the existence of Gd.
With the use of his own original illustrative graphics, David provides an overview of the ideas and contributions of these extraordinary figures. He also places all three in their respective historical and intellectual contexts.
For a historical overview of the period listen to David’s series, From the Rambam to the Zohar: Jewish History of 12th & 13th centuries, starting here.
This fourth talk in David’s eight-part series, A Journey Through Jewish Philosophy, was delivered on Zoom for Caulfield Shule in 2020.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:52 — 24.2MB)
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