Guide for the Perplexed

While this edition is not strictly perfect, I can't help but award five stars to it, for the following reasons:I) it's Maimonides' "Guide of the Perplexed", I mean, the very fact a contemporary edition of this rare and wise work exists is praiseworthy; this translation from Arabic is, on my opinion, very readable (I remind you that works from peripatetic philosophers usually aren't so).II) lack of footnotes: the mutilation of footnotes from the first edition (that was done to condense the original three volumes into this single one) may hurt to us who like references, but I admit that this lacking makes reading this great book a lot more challenging, and thus, we are obliged to learn the subtleties of Maimonides by ourselves rather than simply expecting the translator to give us the answer, and most certainly that was the author's intention. So the edition becomes a hardcore reading, where the reader must really use his mind to solve difficulties and obscurities and look up in literature the references which Maimonides is using.III) the auxiliary parts of the edition are indeed very good, such as the small biography given and an account of the manuscript tradition, not to mention a brief analysis of the work. A final index of recurring passages of Scripture and quotations is also helpful.It must be said, however, that this edition is a republishing from a 1904 edition, and thus there are several typos, mostly in reference to Biblical passages. While it is frustrating to open your Bible, look up the indicated chapter and only then discover the passage was taken from another chapter, I consider this a minor issue. The worst part is the small typeface, of course.About the teachings contained here, I can only say they are undoubtedly clever solutions by one the finest philosophers from the Middle Ages. The work is deep in its lessons and is another brilliant proof and sonorous voice showing us that it's the Middle Ages, not the Renaissance, nor Modernity, the era where reason and faith were found together. This is enough to tell about the work, and more than it I can't say, as you will probably observe after you start reading the book.All that said, I highly recommend this book to those who are really interested in philosophy, that is, those who are indeed in a quest for truth.

After further trying to use the Kindle version of The Guide I have decided that it is just unusable. The entire book is one long unbroken stream of text. The beginnings of chapters aren't highlighted or separated using line breaks. Even footnotes are embedded right in with the text. Unfortunately Amazon won't let me change my original star ranking. But I'd rate this implementation as one star. I needn't emphasize that his is a great book. Also, I have no problem with the dated 100-plus year old style of the translation. It is the implementation for the Kindle that leaves much to be desired. There is no active table of contents. This makes navigation very difficult. I started reading after finally finding the beginning of the text after paging through page after page of the inactive TOC. Then my Kindle "hiccupped" and restarted itself at the home page. I was not amused at having to page through the same inactive TOC to find the text that I had been reading. I would be much more putout if I had spent a lot of money for it. At $0.99 it is still worthwhile buying. Just remember that you will have to take the time to put in your own navigation bookmarks.

This is one of the greatest exegesises of the Old Testament ever written. I know, technically to a Jewish scholar like Maimonides, it's not the "Old Testament," but as an Orthodox Christian I found Maimonides' writings invaluable into gaining a deeper understanding of both the Torah and of God Himself. I particularly enjoyed the explanations behind much of what, to a 21st century reader, can seem inscrutable about the Torah (such as the rationale for the several hundred commandments/prohibitions on certain activities). This is a dense tome, but worth reading if you have any interest in God, man, philosophy, human nature, and the universe.

I have the kindle 2. I downloaded a Guide to the Perplexed which was available on GoogleBook. Although the text was readable, there was no formatting and the footnotes and commentary were merged with Maimonides' words to make the thing unnavigable - continuity was destroyed.The Amazon version on the other hand is without footnotes and is easily read. Another reviewer has criticized the Friedlander (late nineteenth century) translation as a bit archaic. I did not find this although there is the occasional word that one encounters only infrequently in more modern literature.If you are simply interested in reading the book, the Amazon Kindle version seems more than adequate. I have no way of knowing how reliable the translation, and wonder how the reviewers who do have opinions on this issue reached them.

The writting itself is very good. A classic. But this edition is not fit to be sold. The print is about 5pt type and it is almost 400 pages. Give me 800 pages that I CAN SEE. I wish I had read the other review about the small type. If I hadn't seen it myself I would never had believed a publisher would do such a thing. I am going to ask for my money back. I was looking foward to reading a classic of Religious Studies, but the small print has taken all the joy out of it. I will try to find a better edition. Do NOT buy this one!

An excellent work by a late medieval Jewish theologian/metaphysicist (a contemporary of Aquinas) who presents and breaks down the metaphysical arguments of the day for the existence of God, a God-created universe, and the interpretation of the Torah. He examines the Aristotelian arguments supporting the eternal existence of the Universe and determines whether or not they are supported by Scripture and logical analysis. Our contemporary physicists could use his methods to uncover logical flaws in their theories about the ultimate origins of the Universe. He finishes the text with a treatise on Scripture and the perfection of Man. A must read along with the works of Augustine and Aquinas, and for that matter, any modern work on the ultimate nature of Nature.rac

... perplexed

Wonderful book. I love that the author writes as though he were talking to you.

This book is a compilation of high level deep philosophical rhetoric relating to 12th century rabbinic thought in relation to faith, life, society, deep intimations on 'God' and the like.a must for every student of theology and philosophy alike. A valuable resource from one of the greatest philosophers and theologians our world has to offer.

Just recieved it. It came quick. Seems like a good copy with good value. The only annoying thing was that the first two pages of the book are self-advertisements by the publishing house... A non-attached insert would have been a better option in my opinion. Sort of intrusive and distracting from the book. A constant reminder that they have apps in the app store and google play everytime you open the book.

Aunque el estilo parezca algo pesado, parece que el sabio cordobés nos sigue hablando al oído. Tienes que leerlo sin falta.