Harvey, Warren Zev
Senior Fellow: February–March 2020
Research Project: The Pedagogical Value of Scepticism according to Maimonides, Hasdai Crescas, and Other Medieval Jewish Philosophers
Maimonides (1138–1204) and Hasdai Crescas (c. 1340–1410/11) were both philosophers with sceptical inclinations. They both had grave doubts about Aristotelian physics and both considered all proofs of the One God to be invalid. However, they differed in their attitude towards scepticism as a pedagogical tool.
Maimonides considered scepticism to be pedagogically subversive: doubts could lead students to despair of religion, science, or both. Hasdai Crescas held the contrary view. He considered scepticism to be pedagogically useful, believing that knowledge advances by criticism and that the open expression of doubt is good for both science and religion. He thought that the danger to knowledge is not scepticism, but dogmatism.
One may speak of “two kinds of scepticism,” or more precisely, “two pedagogical approaches to scepticism.” According to the first approach, scepticism is subversive and must be taught as an esoteric doctrine. According to the second approach, scepticism is educationally useful and must be taught openly.
This research project proposes to examine the different attitudes of medieval Jewish philosophers with regard to the pedagogical value of scepticism. How many agree with Maimonides and how many agree with Crescas? How does this influence their theories of education?
Zev Warren Harvey is professor emeritus in the Department of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he has taught since 1977.