The Guide for the Perplexed

⚖The case for it

The greatest work of medieval Jewish philosophy. Maimonides reconciles Aristotelian philosophy with Torah, proving that reason and revelation don't have to fight. His negative theology (we can only say what God is NOT) influenced Aquinas, Spinoza, and Leibniz. Written around 1190 for a student who was 'perplexed' by the apparent conflict between faith and philosophy. Eight centuries later, the perplexity hasn't gone away.

— the canon

✕The case against

Maimonides tells you in his introduction that he has hidden the real meaning behind deliberate contradictions, and he was not bluffing. Long stretches catalogue Hebrew homonyms one term at a time, the cosmology runs on celestial spheres, and without Aristotle and Torah already in your head, you are reading a lock without its key.

— the honest librarian