Dr. John Vervaeke

Exploring Jewish Neoplatonism: The Life and Philosophy of Solomon Ibn Gabirol

63 snips
Sep 19, 2025
Zevi Slavin, a philosopher and educator specializing in Jewish Neoplatonism, dives into the life and ideas of Solomon Ibn Gabirol. He discusses the implications of will and desire in creation, redefining 'matter' as longing for form. The conversation explores the receptive aspects of the divine and parallels with Taoist thought. Slavin richly connects Jewish poetry and Kabbalah to Ibn Gabirol’s philosophical innovations, highlighting how ancient wisdom can illuminate contemporary spirituality and understanding.
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INSIGHT

Matter As Longing For Form

  • Solomon Ibn Gabirol reconceives matter as potentiality that longs for form rather than as privation or evil.
  • This makes eros central to reality and ties matter to creativity, self-organization, and sacred receptivity.
INSIGHT

Irada As Desire Not Voluntas

  • Translating Ibn Gabirol's Arabic irada as "desire" (not voluntas/will) changes how we read divine causation.
  • Desire/eros fits his metaphysics where matter's longing and divine creativity are unified.
INSIGHT

Use Hule To Mean Prime Potentiality

  • Use hule (al-hule / al-unsar) and potentiality instead of everyday "matter" to avoid modern materialist misunderstandings.
  • Ibn Gabirol's universal hylomorphism applies hule+morphe across souls, intellects, and bodies.
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