Making Sense of Maimonides

Moses Maimonides’ philosophical magnum opus, the Guide for the Perplexed, is one of the most consequential works of Jewish theology. Since its completion in the late 12th century, it has been the subject of much controversy—about both the rightness of its ideas and what exactly its author is trying to argue. Having just completed (with Phillip Lieberman) a new English translation of the Guide, and currently working on a companion volume, Lenn Goodman puts forth his own judgments about these matters in conversation with J.J. Kimche. Goodman seeks to explain the work’s purpose and to place it in its philosophical context, while reflecting on the problems of translation and explaining what great Jewish thinkers of the 20th century got right—and wrong—about it. (Audio, 75 minutes.)