Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Moses Maimonides is undoubtedly the most famous rationalist of the Jewish tradition, portraying all of Torah as an intellectual project to know the deepest secrets of God and nature. This book, however, will argue that this characterization of Maimonides is only partially true. Notwithstanding his focus on the primacy of the intellect, he views the emotions or passions as central to the good life. Maimonides does so through imbuing the Mishneh Torah and Guide of the Perplexed with a series of conflicting models of the passions that are grounded in conflicting moral and psychological archetypes: love versus fear, moderation versus abstinence, courage versus awe, anger versus calmness, pride versus humility, and justice versus compassion. This book contends that these contrasting emotional paradigms represent two distinct approaches to the world that exist simultaneously in Maimonides’ writings. One is grounded in an understanding and imitation of nature, while the other is in a skeptical view of the world. The former sees human beings as intellectual and political, while the latter highlights human fragility and weakness. One pushes for human flourishing and excellence, the other for compassion toward the weaker. In combining the Aristotelian emphasis on virtue and happiness with the Biblical priority of humility and compassion, Maimonides also shows both the psychological and social dangers of each approach if it lacks the other as a corrective.</jats:p>