In this Book
- Maimonides' Cure of Souls: Medieval Precursor of Psychoanalysis
- Book
- 2009
- Published by: State University of New York Press
summary
Explores the unacknowledged psychological element in Maimonides’ work, one which prefigures the latter insights of Freud. Is Moses Maimonides an unacknowledged ancestor of the psychoanalytic movement? In this book, David Bakan, Dan Merkur, and David S. Weiss look at the great medieval Jewish philosopher’s prescription for the cure of souls and its psychological significance. In the Guide of the Perplexed, Maimonides, who was also a physician, describes the soul’s illness: when sinners rationalize evil as good, they limit their capacities to reason, imagine, and behave well, which also produces physical symptoms. The cure depends on repentance in love and fear of God that is attained through philosophical knowledge, the interpretation of dreams and visions, and mystical contemplation. The authors look at the Aristotelian background of Maimonides’ psychology, Maimonidean mysticism, his beliefs about prophecy and sexuality, and what is known of Maimonides’ client population. A final chapter discusses Maimonides and Freud, noting that many distinctive features of the cure of souls are shared by Freud’s original formulation of psychoanalysis. Indeed, the many points of convergence suggest Freud’s direct or indirect contact with Maimonides’ legacy.
Table of Contents
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- Acknowledgments
- p. xv
- Abbreviations
- pp. xvii-xviii
- ONE: The Will to Illness
- pp. 1-23
- TWO: Worship of the Heart
- pp. 25-47
- FIVE: Secrets of the Law
- pp. 97-125
- SEVEN: Convergences of Maimonides and Freud
- pp. 137-165
- References
- pp. 167-177
Additional Information
ISBN
9781438427447
MARC Record
OCLC
469186918
Pages
201
Launched on MUSE
2012-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No