Maimonides and St. Thomas on the Limits of Reason

Idit Dobbs-Weinstein is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University.

"The book provides an important discussion of the agent intellect as conceived by Maimonides and by Aquinas. Dobbs-Weinstein does justice to both authors; her treatment is penetrating."It is a highly focused inquiry based on extensive study. While both Maimonides and Aquinas acknowledge a common intellectual tradition, their differing religious outlooks provide contrasting insights. The author makes them talk to one another and not past each other. The topics chosen for discussion are significant, not esoteric; they are issues confronted equally by medieval and contemporary moralists who subscribe to a Judaic or Christian belief system. Dobbs-Weinstein assists the reader by providing many accurate and helpful comparisons between the two." — Jude P. Dougherty, The Catholic University of America

• Apologia and Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction 1. Maimonides and Aquinas as Interpreters The Development of Philosophical, Biblical ExegesisMaimonides' and Aquinas' Approaches to InterpretationInterpretation as a Philosophical Practice2. The Book of Job Early Approaches to the Book of JobThe Nature of the InquiryMaimonides' Account of JobAquinas' Exposition on Job3. The Account of the Beginning or Creation IntroductionMaimonides' Arguments for CreationAquinas' Arguments for Creation4. Matter, Privation, and Evil IntroductionMaimonides' Ambivalence Toward MatterAquinas' Understanding of Matter, Privation, and Evil5. Natural Human Perfection and Its Limits IntroductionThe Nature of the Human Soul According to MaimonidesAquinas and the Harmony of the SoulConclusion6. Divine Law as a Perfection of Philosophical Ethics IntroductionThe Limits of Philosophical Ethics According to MaimonidesDivine Sanction as Universal ImperativeThe Limits of Legislative ReasonThe Displacement of Legislative Reason by Divine LawConclusion7. Hubris, Knowledge, and Provident Participation IntroductionThe Problem of JobModes of Participating ProvidenceConclusion: Excess and ReticenceEndnotes Bibliography Name Index Subject Index