[Avodah] Consumer alert:minhog scams on the rise!

[Meir Shinnar]

>
> Speaking of those mar'eh meqomos, on Thu, Jul 07, 2011 at 06:57:12AM
> +0000, REMT wrote:
> :> ... you repeat what I feel is the wrong half of the Rambam's phrase,
> :> yes it's "sheKOL hanimna'os", but the Rambam continues "mechuyavei
> :> hametzi'us". What are the "necessities of existence" if not the laws of
> :> nature? He doesn't speak of paradoxes and laws of logic..<
>
> : I don't understand "mechuyavei ham'tzius" to mean "necessities
> : of existence." I believe it means "must necessarily have happened."...
>
> I really doubt that, in general, and moreso in the Rambam in particular.
> To use classical philosophical terms, you're saying "mechuyavei hametzius"
> are non-contingent events. However, leshitaso, all of metzi'us is
> contingent.
>
> IMHO,
>    mechuyavei: necessitated by
>    metzi'us: empirical existence
>
> Aside from that, R Dr Shinnar and I finally agree on our understanding
> of a point in the Rambam. If that's not proof we found amito shel davar,
> what is? Seriously, though, he showed that in Igeres Teiman the Rambam
> makes the point more clearly referring to physics.
>
> Tir'u baTov!
> -Micha

While RMB and I finally agree on something in the rambam, in the
particular phrase that REMT has chosen, I think REMT is closer to the
truth.  The rambam is contrasting the fool, who views every impossible
story as not being merely true - but Mechuyav hametziyut - non
contingent events - even though the rambam himself does not even
believe in non contingent events - but this reflects the greater folly
of the fool.  What is not clear just from this quote is the status of
those who only view some impossible stories as being merely true - as
REMT points out - but I think it is made quite clear from the general
tenor of the hakdama to helek that except for some specific exemptions
- they are part of the fools camp.  For those who do not like relying
on general tenor, this is quite explicit in the maamar techiyat
hametim (not iggeret teiman).

Meir Shinnar