1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910784308503321

Autore

Seeskin Kenneth <1947->

Titolo

Maimonides on the origin of the world / / Kenneth Seeskin [[electronic resource]]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , 2005

ISBN

1-107-15210-0

0-511-35056-2

0-511-34968-8

9786611085735

1-281-08573-1

0-511-34779-0

0-511-34876-2

1-280-42219-X

0-511-18200-7

0-511-13040-6

0-511-19916-3

0-511-30935-X

0-511-61462-4

0-511-12887-8

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (viii, 215 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)

Disciplina

213/.092

Soggetti

Creation

Philosophy, Ancient

Philosophy, Medieval

Jewish philosophy

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 199-207) and index.

Nota di contenuto

God and the problem of origin -- Creation in the Timaeus -- Aristotle and the arguments for eternity -- Plotinus and metaphysical causation -- Particularity -- Nature, miracles, and the end of the world -- Aftermath and conclusion.

Sommario/riassunto

Although Maimonides' discussion of creation is one of his greatest



contributions - he himself claims that belief in creation is second in importance only to belief in God - there is still considerable debate on what that contribution was. Kenneth Seeskin takes a close look at the problems Maimonides faced and the sources from which he drew. He argues that Maimonides meant exactly what he said: the world was created by a free act of God so that the existence of everything other than God is contingent. In religious terms, existence is a gift. In order to reach this conclusion, Seeskin examines Maimonides' view of God, miracles, the limits of human knowledge, and the claims of astronomy to be a science. Clearly written and closely argued, Maimonides on the Origin of the World takes up questions of perennial interest.