David Bakan & Dan Merkur 
Maimonides’ Cure of Souls [PDF ebook] 
Medieval Precursor of Psychoanalysis

Is Moses Maimonides an unacknowledged ancestor of the psychoanalytic movement? In this book, David Bakan, Dan Merkur, and David S. Weiss look at the great medieval Jewish philosopher’s prescription for the cure of souls and its psychological significance. In the Guide of the Perplexed, Maimonides, who was also a physician, describes the soul’s illness: when sinners rationalize evil as good, they limit their capacities to reason, imagine, and behave well, which also produces physical symptoms. The cure depends on repentance in love and fear of God that is attained through philosophical knowledge, the interpretation of dreams and visions, and mystical contemplation. The authors look at the Aristotelian background of Maimonides’ psychology, Maimonidean mysticism, his beliefs about prophecy and sexuality, and what is known of Maimonides’ client population. A final chapter discusses Maimonides and Freud, noting that many distinctive features of the cure of souls are shared by Freud’s original formulation of psychoanalysis. Indeed, the many points of convergence suggest Freud’s direct or indirect contact with Maimonides’ legacy.

表中的内容

Preface

Acknowledgments

List of Abbreviations



1. The Will to Illness



Aristotelian Premises of Maimonides’ Psychology,

Aristotelian Forms, Actualization, Al-Farabi’s Political

Philosophy, Maimonides’ Behavioral Therapy, Sin

Causes Ignorance, Repentance, Conclusions



2. Worship of the Heart



The Commandments of Monotheistic Beliefs and

Affects, Maimonides’ Curriculum, Maimonides’

Intellectualist Mysticism, The Rational Character of

Maimonides’ Intellectualist Mysticism, The Mystical

Character of Maimonides’ Rationalism, Maimonides’

Practice of the Presence of God, The Therapeutic

Effects of Meditation, Conclusions



3. Imagination and the Interpretation of Prophecy



Imagination and Anthropomorphism, Intellectualist

Mysticism and Prophecy, Dreams and Visions of

Prophecy, The Psychology of Imagination, The Place of

Imagination in the Interpretation of Scripture, The

Prophecies of Abraham, Confirmation from Ezekiel,

Conclusions



4. Perplexity and the World to Come



Maimonides’ Esotericism, The World to Come, The

Thirteen Foundational Principles of the Law, The Four

Who Entered Paradise, Monistic Mystical Union,

Conclusions



5. Secrets of the Law




Arayot, The Account of the Beginning, Maimonides on

Sexuality, The Account of the Chariot, Conclusions



6. Maimonides’ Psychotherapy Client Population



7. Convergences of Maimonides and Freud



Freud’s Access to Maimonides, Dream Interpretation,

The Privileged Place of Sexuality, Sociocultural Conflict

Model, Theories of Pathology and Therapy, Psychic

Reality, Understanding on One’s Own, The Unconscious,

Views of Judaism, Prophetic Ambition, Conclusions



References

Index

关于作者

David Bakan (1921–2004) was Professor Emeritus of Psychology at York University and the author of several books, including
Sigmund Freud and the Jewish Mystical Tradition.
Dan Merkur is Research Reader in the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto and a psychoanalyst in private practice in Toronto. He is the author of several books, including
Crucified with Christ: Meditations on the Passion, Mystical Death, and the Medieval Invention of Psychotherapy, also published by SUNY Press.
David S. Weiss is a Ph.D. Psychologist and a rabbi. He is the President of Weiss International, a leadership consulting firm; an Affiliate Professor at the University of Toronto; and the author of several books, including
Beyond the Walls of Conflict.