Heavenly Reason in the Medieval Islamicate World

Guest lecture by Dr. Aaron Tugendhaft. To register, email [email protected].

In 1194, the Egyptian philosopher and rabbinical authority Musa ibn Maymun (aka Maimonides, Rambam) responded to a series of queries by the Jewish community of southern France concerning the efficacy of astrology. This lecture will explore the religious and political dimensions of ibn Maymun's response within the context of how the nature of the cosmos, and the astral sciences---both astronomy and astrology--- were conceptualized in the medieval Islamic world.

Participants can read Maimonides' Letter on Astrology (1194) prior to the event.

Dr. Aaron Tugendhaft is a fellow of Bard's Hannah Arendt center. His main areas of interest are political philosophy, art history, and the history of religions. His book The Idols of ISIS: From Assyria to the Internet was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2020. He taught at Bard College Berlin between 2018 and 2021.

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For more information, e-mail [email protected].

Time: 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm CET/GMT+1

Location: Lecture Hall

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