In his Guide of the Perplexed, Maimonides clarifies his views on the relation of God to the ultimate perfection of man. Maimonides declares the understanding of God to be the most important task of man, because only through this understanding can an individual become nearer to God, and thus, perfection (Atlas 60). The perfection of man, he argues, is a direct response to a man’s understanding of God and how the man uses that understanding in an aim to imitate God’s actions. In order for man to achieve perfection, man first must comprehend God. Then, through this comprehension, an individual must align his actions to replicate God’s.
By definition, perfection is the state of being free or as free as possible from flaws and defects. What …show more content…
Maimonides points to as lacking are the perfection of wealth, the perfection of physique and the perfection of ethical virtues as lacking. Maimonides paints these three forms as imperfect because none of them belong specifically to an individual himself, but to the relation of an individual to another. For example, the perfection of wealth. Wealth does not have any real connection to an individual, it only serves as a relation of the individual to a status in society. An individual’s possessions do not exist because of that individual or for that individual, but on account of themselves, making the relation between man and his possessions imaginary and impermanent. Other arguments can also be made about physical and ethical virtues. The perfection of physique is imperfect, because even if a man becomes as physically strong as possible of man, that man’s strength would still be unequal to that of other Earthly creatures. Ethical virtue too is not real perfection. If a man is alone and isolated from others, his ethics are found to be of no use, as ethics only enter the equation when another is present. Thus, in reality, these are not perfections, but
By definition, perfection is the state of being free or as free as possible from flaws and defects. What …show more content…
Maimonides points to as lacking are the perfection of wealth, the perfection of physique and the perfection of ethical virtues as lacking. Maimonides paints these three forms as imperfect because none of them belong specifically to an individual himself, but to the relation of an individual to another. For example, the perfection of wealth. Wealth does not have any real connection to an individual, it only serves as a relation of the individual to a status in society. An individual’s possessions do not exist because of that individual or for that individual, but on account of themselves, making the relation between man and his possessions imaginary and impermanent. Other arguments can also be made about physical and ethical virtues. The perfection of physique is imperfect, because even if a man becomes as physically strong as possible of man, that man’s strength would still be unequal to that of other Earthly creatures. Ethical virtue too is not real perfection. If a man is alone and isolated from others, his ethics are found to be of no use, as ethics only enter the equation when another is present. Thus, in reality, these are not perfections, but