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The medieval Jewish scholar Musa Ibn Maymun, known today as Maimonides, was one of the most perceptive legal and philosophical minds of his time. Maimonides spent his life between Spain, North Africa, and Cairo and left an incredible legacy of writing that has shaped the Jewish tradition to this day. He was also a celebrity in his own right and knew some of the major personages of his time.

There is a quote of Maimonides relevant when I reflect on my own intellectual habits. “We naturally like what we have been accustomed to, and are attracted towards it,” he wrote. “The same is the case with those opinions of man to which he has been accustomed from his youth; he likes them, defends them, and shuns the opposite views.”

The purpose of an intellectual life is to self-scrutinize. We all have biases and blind-spots that we must be aware of at minimum. I take Maimonides as a guide in this, and encourage others to read his work; including the wonderful intellectual history by Joel Kraemer shared below.

Writer, podcaster, and commentator on foreign affairs and politics. Runs /dropglobalnews

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Great share!nnI believe in this as well. Practicing awareness of your thoughts, actions, and biases will tremendously help in the life of your own and others as well nnI'm adding this one to the list!