Episode 87: Professor Lenn E. Goodman "Depopulating the Heavens"

In this captivating episode, we welcome back Dr. Lenn E. Goodman, who introduces his new translation of the Guide to the Perplexed, a task previously undertaken by Moshe Friedlander and notably by Shlomo Pines. Dr. Goodman explains what inspired him to reinterpret this seminal work, why it's necessary, and explains his intentions to bring fresh perspectives and clarity to Maimonides' complex ideas. The discussion then turns to the inherent challenges in comprehending the Guide, stemming from its medieval philosophical context and the contradictions and ambiguities Maimonides himself noted. Dr. Goodman shares his method for navigating these issues in his forthcoming translation, potentially offering new interpretations of this pivotal text. The key part of the conversation focuses on Maimonides' theological and cosmological system, particularly how it aligns with contemporary scientific understanding. Dr. Goodman addresses the dilemma of reconciling Maimonides' geocentric universe with modern cosmology and explores how this impacts the interpretation of divine providence, prophecy, revelation, and miracles. He evaluates various scholarly responses to this issue (as well as how to understand Rambam's view of the Active Intellect) and offers his insight into this complex theological challenge.

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• Bio: Dr. Lenn E. Goodman is a Professor of Philosophy and Jewish Studies, and Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities. His philosophical interests center on metaphysics and ethics, and he has paid special attention over the years to Islamic and Jewish philosophical thought and their creative interactions. Goodman was a winner of the American Philosophical Association Baumgardt Memorial Prize and was a rare Humanities Recipient of Vanderbilt University’s top research award, the Earl Sutherland prize. He has written philosophical essays on most of the major figures of Islamic and Jewish philosophy and on a variety of topics in political philosophy, biophilosophy, and the theory of knowledge and culture. He serves on the editorial boards of History of Philosophy Quarterly and Medieval Philosophy and Theology. He is an associate editor of Asian Philosophy. He has served as Vice President and Program Chair of the Institute for Islamic/Judaic Studies. He has also served as program chair for the APA panels of the Academy for Jewish Philosophy. He was Jewish Philosophy subject editor of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy and is a fellow of the Academy for Jewish Philosophy. Professor Goodman has also contributed to the Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, the Oxford Companion to Philosophy, the Blackwell’s Companion to the Philosophy of Religion, the Companion Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy, as well as other works of reference. In 2008 Oxford University Press published Goodman’s Gifford lectures under the title Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself.

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• Get his incredible book here:

https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Perplexed-New-Translation/dp/0804787387/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JP03UABR1D53&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.-HWzPrcheaGNyN8IkkdoPBdImmYZr2xEsQG__TJ37HW5Q2Z1He6UHcQ0-oRJ49MRTJ2jBBIv4kUdIQZoJI_jBlpfaTdpB9CZc10kcVfTARfz4RoWDS_wwj_89-916cCcw8pJVGsrvjYw4tFtCnbSZVup5rDvtY8WFdRhK2ItTvvDvQI9DGUwuii4ju1pRBPqDDoI2_HiYoxFeioopy10TA.odo1XW4gB18d7RTWWjvOOOK_LNZWOEqyJGpJ1C5HVCw&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+guide+for+the+perplexed+goodman&qid=1709481535&sprefix=the+guide+for+the+perplexed+goodman%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-1

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