Reading Maimonides' Mishneh Torah

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Gillis
Keyword(s):  
Jewish Law ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Symbolic Form ◽  
Knowledge Of God ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Fundamental Unity ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Guide Of The Perplexed

This book demonstrates that the Mishneh torah, Maimonides' code of Jewish law, has the structure of a microcosm. Through this symbolic form, Maimonides presents the law as designed to perfect the individual and society by shaping them in the image of the divinely created cosmic order. The commandments of the law thereby bring human beings closer to fulfilling their ultimate purpose, knowledge of God. This symbolism turns the Mishneh torah into an object of contemplation that itself communicates such knowledge. In short, it is a work of art. The book unpacks the metaphysical and cosmological underpinnings of Maimonides' scheme of organization, allowing the reader to understand the Mishneh torah's artistic dimension and to appreciate its power. Moreover, as the book makes clear, uncovering this dimension casts new light on one of the great cruxes of Maimonides studies: the relationship of the Mishneh torah to his philosophical treatise The Guide of the Perplexed. A fundamental unity is revealed between Maimonides the codifier and Maimonides the philosopher that has not been fully appreciated hitherto. Maimonides' artistry in composition is repeatedly shown to serve his aims in persuading us of the coherence and wisdom of the halakhic system. The book sets in high relief the humane and transcendental purposes and methods of halakhah as Maimonides conceived of it, in an argument that is sure-footed and convincing.

A Portrait of the Artist

2014 ◽  
pp. 1-79
Author(s):  
David Gillis
Keyword(s):  
Central Feature ◽  
Jewish Law ◽  
Knowledge Of God ◽  
Great Thing ◽  
Literary Art ◽  
Philosophy And Religion ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
The One ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship

This introductory chapter provides a background of Maimonides and his code of Jewish law, the Mishneh torah. Maimonides applied the highest literary art to the highest of tasks: to bequeath, as philosopher-statesman, a law that would regulate the life of the individual and of society and move people closer to the knowledge of God. The result of that art is a book to be read and experienced, not just consulted. The central feature of Mishneh torah as a work of art is the casting of the commandments of the law in the form of the cosmos. The microcosmic form suggests, in the first place, that studying Mishneh torah, like the study of the universe, can be a way to the knowledge and love of God. On the plane of ideas, this form embodies the relationship between the ‘small thing’ and the ‘great thing’, between halakhah, on the one hand, and physics and metaphysics on the other. It depicts philosophy as the matrix of halakhah, reflecting the view of the relationship between philosophy and religion in the Islamic philosophers.

The lives of subjects

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annabel S. Brett
Keyword(s):  
Common Good ◽  
Body Politic ◽  
The State ◽  
The Body ◽  
Ontological Status ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter discusses the relationship of the state to its subjects as necessarily physically embodied beings. The primary way in which the commonwealth commands its subjects is through the medium of its law. The law is for the common good and obliges the community as a whole, and thus the ontological status of the law—as distinct from any particular command of a superior to an individual—is intimately tied to that of the body politic. The question, then, concerning the relationship of the state to the natural body of the individual can be framed in terms of the extent of the obligation of the civil law.

10 ‘All human beings …’ and the Great Enterprise

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pace John P
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
International Relations ◽  
League Of Nations ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Third Dimension ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Right ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Distinguishing Features

This chapter explores the relevance of the developments in the Commission on Human Rights to the individual—the ultimate measure by which to assess the priorities in the coming years. The introduction of respect for human rights among the fundamental principles of the organization and the establishment of an International Bill of Human Rights were major distinguishing features between the UN Charter and the Covenant of the League of Nations. These provisions placed the individual at the table where only governments sat in matters of international relations. This ‘third dimension’ of international relations gave the Commission on Human Rights a role and responsibility like no other UN body, of dealing directly with individuals. The chapter then addresses the relationship of the Commission with the individual and civil society. Communication from individuals and groups emerged on two principal channels, almost concurrently. One was the handling of communications whose substance was deemed to be relevant to the work of the Commission as it undertook its drafting responsibilities. The other was the right of individuals and groups to petition as an integral component of the measures of implementation. This was the start of the treaty-based complaints mechanisms.

Employing Religious Concepts to Address the Political Situation Post-9/11: The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)

2019 ◽  
pp. 133-151
Author(s):  
John White
Keyword(s):  
The Political ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Political Situation ◽  
The World ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Good And Evil ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The U.S

This chapter considers The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) in relation to its use of the key Christian concepts of forgiveness of sins and redemption. The central focus of Three Burials is seen as being its recourse to Christian ideas, not only in relation to eternal spiritual questions regarding the relationship of human beings to an all-powerful deity but also in relation to the contemporary historical/political moment. This chapter considers two types of detachment from the world: one in which the individual lives their life in a state of indifference and the other in which the individual exists within a space of thoughtful contemplation. The film moves away from the more normal Hollywood consideration of the world as a space for the contest between good and evil to encourage viewers to question the way in which the Mexican ‘Other’ is (and, by extension, all ‘Others’ are) viewed within the U.S. and represented within the media. Ultimately, however, it is argued the film neglects to consider the economics that underpins the contemporary political situation.

Die Rechtsstellung des Monarchen in den Verfassungen der Einzelstaaten des Deutschen Bundes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Rahe
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Relationship

In the course of the 19th century, the monarchs of the individual states of the German Confederation enacted a large number of different written constitutions. With these, they considerably limited their powers. This is astonishing as they had only recently made the transition to absolutism. This thesis examines why the monarchs enacted these constitutions, in which areas they restricted themselves in which manner, and it investigates the relationship of the constitutions to the law of the German Confederation. For the first time, the regulations of all constitutions that were enacted during the period of the German Confederation in a monarchy are comprehensively included, evaluated and compared.

CHILD-PARENT RELATIONS AS A FACTOR IN THE FORMATION OF PROFESSIONAL PREFERENCES IN PEDAGOGICAL DYNASTIES

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 126-130
Author(s):  
N. V. SHAMANIN ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Parent Child Relationships ◽  
Professional Preferences ◽  
Parent Child

The article raises the issue of the relationship of parent-child relationships and professional preferences in pedagogical dynasties. Particular attention is paid to the role of the family in the professional development of the individual. It has been suggested that there is a relationship between parent-child relationships and professional preferences.

Epilogue

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua S. Walden
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

The book’s epilogue explores the place of musical portraiture in the context of posthumous depictions of the deceased, and in relation to the so-called posthuman condition, which describes contemporary changes in the relationship of the individual with such aspects of life as technology and the body. It first examines Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo to view how Bernard Herrmann’s score relates to issues of portraiture and the depiction of the identity of the deceased. It then considers the work of cyborg composer-artist Neil Harbisson, who has aimed, through the use of new capabilities of hybridity between the body and technology, to convey something akin to visual likeness in his series of Sound Portraits. The epilogue shows how an examination of contemporary views of posthumous and posthuman identities helps to illuminate the ways music represents the self throughout the genre of musical portraiture.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Government: The Role of Discretion for Engagement with Public Policy

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Jette Steen Knudsen ◽  
Jeremy Moon
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Integrated Framework ◽  
The Law ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

We investigate the relationship of corporate social responsibility (CSR) (often assumed to reflect corporate voluntarism) and government (often assumed to reflect coercion). We distinguish two broad perspectives on the CSR and government relationship: the dichotomous (i.e., government and CSR are / should be independent of one another) and the related (i.e., government and CSR are / should be interconnected). Using typologies of CSR public policy and of CSR and the law, we present an integrated framework for corporate discretion for engagement with public policy for CSR. We make four related contributions. First, we explain the dichotomous and the related perspectives with reference to their various assumptions and analyses. Second, we demonstrate that public policy for CSR and corporate discretion coexist and interact. Specifically, we show, third, that public policy for CSR can inform and stimulate corporate discretion and, fourth, that corporations have discretion for CSR, particularly as to how corporations engage with such policy.

History and Systems of Critical Psychology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Teo
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Critical Psychology ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Strong Basis ◽  
Psychological Practice ◽  
The Status ◽  
Critical Approaches ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Many Sources ◽  
The Relationship

Critical psychology comprises a broad range of international approaches centered around theories and practices of critique, power, resistance, and alternatives of practice. Although critical psychology had an axial age in and around the 1970s, many sources can be found decades and even centuries earlier. Critical psychology is not only about the critique of psychology, which is a broader historical and theoretical field, but about doing justice in and through theory, justice with and to groups of people, and justice to the reality of society, history, and culture as they powerfully constitute subjectivity, as well as the discipline and profession of psychology. Doing justice in and through psychological theory has a strong basis in Western critical approaches, representing a privileged position of reflection in Euro-American research institutions. Critical psychologists argue that traditional psychology is missing its subject matter and hence is not doing justice in methodology, and its practices of control and adjustment are not doing justice to the emancipatory possibilities of human agency or human science. Critical psychologists who are attempting to do justice with and to human beings are not neglecting the onto-epistemic-ethical domain, but are instead focusing on people, often marginalized or oppressed groups. Critical psychologists who want to do justice in history, culture, and society have argued that traditional psychological practice means adaption and adjustment. This means that not only subjectivity, but also the discipline and profession of psychology need to be connected with contexts. Psychologists have attempted to conceptualize the relationship between society and the individual, as well as the ability of humans not only to adapt to an environment but to change their living conditions and transform the status quo. This conceptualization also means providing concrete analyses of how current society, based in neoliberal capitalism, not only impacts individuals but also the discipline of psychology. Despite the complexities of critical psychology around the world, critical psychologists emphasize the importance of reflexivity and praxis when it comes to changing the conditions of social reality that create mental life. Given that subjectivity cannot be limited to intra-psychological processes, critical psychologists attend to relational and structural societal realities, requiring inter- and transdisciplinarity in the discipline and profession.

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