Medieval Jewish Moral and Political Philosophy

I have met Jonathan Jacobs (Colgate University [Faculty Page]) a few times at Liberty Fund symposia, and very much enjoyed his interventions at those gatherings. He recently shared the news that his book on Medieval Jewish moral and political philosophy is now published by Oxford University Press. Jon says:

Please pardon the self-promotion; my Law, Reason, and Morality in Medieval Jewish Philosophy was very recently published by Oxford. It is currently available in the U.K. and will be available in the U.S. in several weeks. Like many books these days, it is quite expensive but you might consider asking your library to purchase a copy. It is mainly a study of the moral psychology and moral epistemology of some medieval Jewish philosophers [Maimonides, Saadia, and Bahya]… thinkers supplying resources and insights of enduring relevance. It also includes discussion of their conceptions of free will, the virtues, the relation between the rational justification of practical requirements and revelation, and also the differences and the overlap between their moral epistemology and that of natural law theorizing and approaches through practical wisdom. I’m trying to help make some of these thinkers ‘more people’s business.’

You can see the OUP page devoted to the book here.

Summer NEH Seminar on Free Will in Medieval Jewish Philosophy

From Jonathan Jacobs (Colgate University [Faculty Page]):

I want to bring to your attention a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar taking place in 2010. The topic is “Free Will and Human Perfection in Medieval Jewish Philosophy.” I will be directing the five-week seminar, beginning on June 27 and concluding on July 31. I invite you to apply to be a participant. There will be a total of sixteen participants, which may include up to two graduate students. It is not necessary to be a specialist in the seminar’s topical area or even to be in the discipline of Philosophy. Our main aim is to have an engaged, energetic group, exploring the issues in depth. This should help the participants to develop their own scholarship and curricular plans. Applicants may come from Philosophy, Religious Studies, Medieval Studies, Theology, Jewish Studies, and other areas. The focus will be on philosophical topics and texts but the treatment of them should prove to be valuable and interesting to scholar/teachers in many fields.

Jonathan Jacobs, Richard J. and Jean Head Professor of Philosophy,
Director, Center for the Arts &
Humanities, Colgate University

See the attachment for more.