A very enlightening book about Maimonides |
Dr. Steven Nadler, professor of philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is the author of numerous publications, including works on Spinoza, Descartes, Leibniz, and medieval and Jewish philosophy. He published the brief 136-page book Why Read Maimonides Today in 2026. He was born on November 11, 1958, and is an American academic and philosopher specializing in 17th-century philosophy. He is also the director of the Institute for Research in the Humanities at his university.
Nadler’s book explains why Maimonides’s teachings still matter. He writes an easy-to-read guide that introduces readers to both the life and the ideas of the medieval sage. Maimonides, who lived from 1138 to 1204, was a brilliant, unusual individual. He was a Jewish leader respected around the world because of his brilliance. He was also a physician to the leader of Egypt, a legal authority, and a philosopher. His monumental legal code, the Mishneh Torah, composed around 1180, systematized Jewish law with remarkable clarity and authority. His philosophical masterpiece, the Guide for the Perplexed, addressed virtually all the difficult intellectual questions of religion and philosophy.
Maimonides composed his landmark philosophical work, The Guide for the Perplexed (Moreh Nevukhim in Hebrew), in Judeo-Arabic, written in Fustat (Old Cairo), Egypt. The treatise aimed to reconcile Jewish theology with Aristotelian philosophy and was addressed to his student, Rabbi Joseph ben Judah of Ceuta. While often cited as 1190, the composition date is generally placed between 1185 and 1191.
Nadler only focuses on several philosophical problems that Maimonides scrutinized: the nature of God, the problem of evil, human freedom, and the relationship between virtue and happiness. By organizing the book around these topics, Nadler demonstrates that Maimonides’ thought is not only historically interesting but also relevant today. He also shows how Maimonides reconciles biblical teachings with philosophical reasoning, particularly highlighting the influence of Aristotelian ideas on his worldview.
Nadler balances biography and philosophy. He briefly sketches Maimonides’ life—his experiences in Spain, North Africa, and Egypt—and shows how the cultural and intellectual environment of the medieval Islamic world shaped his thinking. This historical context helps modern readers understand why Maimonides wrote as he did and why his works generated both admiration and controversy within Jewish communities.
The result is a book that serves as both an introduction for individuals unfamiliar with Maimonides and a stimulating, thought-provoking time for readers already familiar with Maimonidean thought.
Nadler is persuasive. He makes a compelling case that Maimonides’s thoughts remain intellectually vibrant more than eight centuries after his death. For readers curious about the intersection of philosophy, religion, and Jewish intellectual history, this short book is an excellent place to begin.