Maimonides
1138 CE – 1204 CE · Medieval Era
“Reason and revelation are harmonious; God is best understood through what He is not.”
Biography
Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides) was the foremost medieval Jewish philosopher and a leading Torah scholar. His Guide for the Perplexed reconciled Aristotelian philosophy with Jewish theology. He also codified Jewish law and served as a court physician in Egypt.
Major Works
Notable Quotes
“The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision.”
— Attributed
“Teach thy tongue to say 'I do not know,' and thou shalt progress.”
— Attributed
“Anticipate charity by preventing poverty.”
— Mishneh Torah
“The more necessary a thing is for living beings, the more often it is found and the cheaper it is.”
— Guide for the Perplexed
“Truth does not become more true by virtue of the fact that the entire world agrees with it, nor less so even if the whole world disagrees with it.”
— Guide for the Perplexed
“Do not consider it proof just because it is written in books, for a liar who will deceive with his tongue will not hesitate to do the same with his pen.”
— Letter on Astrology
Key Arguments
Click “Philosophy 101” to read the full exploration of each argument.
Negative Theology
We cannot say what God IS, only what God is NOT. Any positive attribute would limit the infinite. God is not ignorant, not powerless, not composite.
Why it matters: A sophisticated approach to theology that influenced Aquinas and remains relevant to philosophy of religion.
Reconciling Revelation and Reason
Maimonides argued that the Torah, properly understood, does not conflict with the conclusions of philosophy and science. Where scripture appears to contradict reason, the text must be interpreted allegorically, because God is the author of both revelation and the rational order of the universe, and truth cannot contradict truth. The Guide of the Perplexed was written precisely for students caught between their faith and their philosophical education.
Why it matters: Established the template for rational theology across all three Abrahamic traditions. His insistence that faith and reason are compatible, and that apparent conflicts demand reinterpretation, not the abandonment of either, directly influenced Aquinas and remains the foundation of mainstream Jewish, Christian, and Islamic life of the mind.
The Limits of Human Knowledge
Even philosophy has its boundaries. Maimonides argued that human reason can demonstrate that God exists and that God is one, but it cannot penetrate God's essence or fully understand the purpose of creation. There are truths that exceed the capacity of the human mind, not because they are irrational, but because our intellect is finite. Intellectual humility is itself a philosophical virtue.
Why it matters: A balanced position that takes both reason and its limits seriously. It anticipated Kant's later distinction between what reason can and cannot know, and it offers a model of intellectual honesty that neither surrenders to dogma nor overestimates the reach of human understanding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lasting Influence
Greatest medieval Jewish philosopher. Influenced Aquinas, Spinoza, and Jewish tradition.
Related Philosophers
Aristotle
384 BCE – 322 BCE
Knowledge comes from empirical observation; virtue is the golden mean between extremes.
Thomas Aquinas
1225 CE – 1274 CE
Faith and reason are complementary paths to truth; God's existence is demonstrable through rational argument.
Avicenna
980 CE – 1037 CE
Existence and essence are distinct; God is the Necessary Existent from whom all else flows.
Averroes
1126 CE – 1198 CE
Philosophy and religion are compatible paths to truth; Aristotle represents the pinnacle of human reason.
Bertrand Russell
1872 CE – 1970 CE
Philosophy should achieve the clarity and rigor of mathematics and logic.
Plato
428 BCE – 348 BCE
Reality consists of eternal, perfect Forms: the physical world is their shadow.
Your Reading Path
The Companion Guide
Seven eras of philosophy in one volume — reading lists, key terms, journal prompts · $19.99