[Avodah] Rambam's naturalism

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, March 3, 2009 8:00 am, Michael Makovi wrote:
: For those familiar with Rambam's naturalism, especially in Shemonah
: Perakim chapter 8 and Commentary to Avot 5:5, that miracles are
: pre-implanted at creation, and that "hakol biydei shamayim hutz
: miyirat shamayaim" means that G-d controls only natural law...

??? Where do you get this out of what the Rambam writes?

: Professor Charles H. Manekin
: "Divine Will in Maimonides' Later Writings"
: in Maimonidean Studies, ed. Arthur Hyman, pp. 189-221
...
: Manekin proposes that G-d's will is eternal and unchanging (given
: Aristotelian metaphysics), but that this consistent and unchanging
: will exerts a constant effect on the will, depending on the
: recipient's status. For example, G-d's will will cause the righteous
: to prosper, while it causes Sodom to be obliterated. Manekin likens
: this to a flame: some objects will be burnt, others melted, others
: tempered, even though the flame is constantly and unceasingly
: unchanging.

Where's the chiddush, that's Moreh III:18 explicitly!
>From Friedlander's translation:
> This being granted, it must further be admitted that the result of
> the existing Divine influence, that reaches mankind through the human
> intellect, is identical with individual intellects really in
> existence, with which, e.g., Zeid, Amr, Kaled and Bekr, are endowed.
> Hence it follows, in accordance with what I have mentioned in the
> preceding chapter, that the greater the share is which a person has
> obtained of this Divine influence, on account of both his physical
> predisposition and his training, the greater must also be the effect
> of Divine Providence upon him, for the action of Divine Providence is
> proportional to the endowment of intellect, as has been mentioned
> above. The relation of Divine Providence is therefore not the same to
> all men; the greater the human perfection a person has attained, the
> greater the benefit he derives from Divine Providence.

It is also classical Aristo. See, for example, the position Rihal
places in the mouth of the philosopher in the Kuzari 1:1. The
philosopher achieves unity with the Active Intellect, thereby gaining
its gifts.

SheTir'u baTov!
-micha

-- 
Micha Berger             "Man wants to achieve greatness overnight,
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