Maimonides and Spinoza : Their Conflicting Views of Human Nature

Until the last century, it was generally agreed that Maimonides was a great defender of Judaism, and Spinoza—as an Enlightenment advocate for secularization—among its key opponents. However, a new scholarly consensus has recently emerged that the teachings of the two philosophers were in fact much closer than was previously thought. In his perceptive new book, Joshua Parens sets out to challenge the now predominant view of Maimonides as a protomodern forerunner to Spinoza—and to show that a chief reason to read Maimonides is in fact to gain distance from our progressively secularized worldview. Turning the focus from Spinoza’s oft-analyzed Theologico-Political Treatise , this book has at its heart a nuanced analysis of his theory of human nature in the Ethics . Viewing this work in contrast to Maimonides’s Guide of the Perplexed , it makes clear that Spinoza can no longer be thought of as the founder of modern Jewish identity, nor should Maimonides be thought of as having paved the way for a modern secular worldview. Maimonides and Spinoza dramatically revises our understanding of both philosophers. Until the last century, it was generally agreed that Maimonides was a great defender of Judaism, and Spinoza - as an Enlightenment advocate for secularization - among its key opponents. However, a new scholarly consensus has recently emerged that the teachings of the two philosophers were in fact much closer than was previously thought. In his perceptive new book, Joshua Parens sets out to challenge the now predominant view of Maimonides as a protomodern forerunner to Spinoza - and to show that a chief reason to read Maimonides is in fact to gain distance from our progressively secularized worldview. Turning the focus from Spinoza's oft-analyzed "Theologico-Political Treatise", this book has at its heart a nuanced analysis of his theory of human nature in the Ethics. Viewing this work in contrast to Maimonides' "Guide of the Perplexed", it makes clear that Spinoza can no longer be thought of as the founder of modern Jewish identity, nor should Maimonides be thought of as having paved the way for a modern secular worldview. Maimonides and Spinoza dramatically revises our understanding of both philosophers Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction 10 One / Desire (Shahwa) and Spiritedness (Ghad. ab) vs. Conatus 28 Two / Veneration vs. Equality 60 Three / Forms vs. Laws of Nature 86 Four / Freedom vs. Determinism 116 Five / Teleology vs. Imagined Ideal 148 Six / Prudence vs. Imagination 172 Epilogue 196 Appendix: Richard Kennington’s Spinoza and Esotericism in Spinoza’s Thought 202 Index 222 This is a revision of predominant understanding of the philosophers Maimonides and Spinoza. It was agreed that Maimonides was a great defender of Judaism, and Spinoza an Enlightenment advocate for secularization. A new scholarly consensus has recently emerged that the teachings of the two philosophers were in fact much closer than was thought. Desire (shahwa) and spiritedness (ghaḍab) vs. conatus Veneration vs. equality Forms vs. laws of nature Freedom vs. determinism Teleology vs. imagined ideal Prudence vs. imagination Epilogue Appendix: Richard Kennington's Spinoza and esotericism in Spinoza's thought.