Saadya Gaon translates Ehyeh asher Ehyeh into Arabic as "the eternal (beginningless) that will no... more Saadya Gaon translates Ehyeh asher Ehyeh into Arabic as "the eternal (beginningless) that will not cease to be." Abraham Maimonides makes a conceptual identification between Saadya's interpretation of Ehyeh asher Ehyeh as eternity and the assertion of his father that Ehyeh asher Ehyeh signifies Necessary Existence. Moses Maimonides draws an allusive relationship between Ehyeh asher Ehyeh and the Tetragrammaton, perhaps hinting at a connection between the Tetragrammaton and the root hayah he is hesitant to openly spell out. As his son suggests, Maimonides hints that Ehyeh asher Ehyeh offers an explication of the Tetragrammaton.
19. Is Aristotle's language of love and desire simply a simile? His medieval commentator Averroes... more 19. Is Aristotle's language of love and desire simply a simile? His medieval commentator Averroes, an important resource for our understanding of the Arabic Aristotelian tradition of which Maimonides is a part, at first seems to suggest that the language is metaphorical, but then goes on to describe this as an intellectual love. Averroes writes at 1606, "this first mover imparts motion, without being moved, to the first object moved by it, just as the beloved moves his lover without being moved itself. . . The first heaven is moved by this mover by means of its desire for it, I mean because it imitates it according to its ability as the lover is moved to [imitate] the beloved. All the other celestial bodes are moved by their desire for the motion of the first body."
4. Slingerland, in accord with Pang Pu, suggests that the term wu-wei "describes a state of perso... more 4. Slingerland, in accord with Pang Pu, suggests that the term wu-wei "describes a state of personal harmony in which actions flow freely and instantly from one's spontaneous inclinations-without the need for extended deliberation or inner struggle--and yet nonetheless accord perfectly with the dictates of the situation at hand, display an almost supernatural efficacy and (in the Confucian context at least) harmonize with the demands of conventional morality . . . It represents not a transitory state but rather a set of dispositions that has been so thoroughly transformed as to conform with the normative order." Ivanhoe objects that, as Slingerland's translation "effortless action" suggests, wu-wei is properly a quality of actions and not agents, since nature is said to act in wu-wei fashion without being an agent. Ivanhoe, "The Paradox of
... While Halevi's letter to Samuel ben Hanania from Alexandria stresses that he longs for r... more ... While Halevi's letter to Samuel ben Hanania from Alexandria stresses that he longs for redemption of the land and restoration of Temple worship and the spirit of prophecy, the pil-grimage poetry resounds with solitary longing and lacks a call to messianic activism. ...
Page 1. Mil BTWN MYSTICISM AND PHILOSOPHY Sufi Language 0f Religi0us Experience in judah Ha-Le... more Page 1. Mil BTWN MYSTICISM AND PHILOSOPHY Sufi Language 0f Religi0us Experience in judah Ha-Levi's Kuzari DIANA LOBL Page 2. Page 3. ... Between mysticism and philosophy : Sufi language of religious experience in Judah Ha-Levi's Kuzari / Diana Lobel. p. cm. ...
Guide I: 68 presents two challenges to Maimonides' negative theology. In I: 50-60 Maimonides insi... more Guide I: 68 presents two challenges to Maimonides' negative theology. In I: 50-60 Maimonides insists that we cannot ascribe positive attributes to God; however, in I: 68, he affirms that God is intellect. Second, I: 56 and III: 20 assert that divine and human knowledge have nothing in common; "knowledge" is a purely equivocal term. However, I: 68 emphasizes that both divine and human knowledge exhibit a unity between subject, object, and the act of intellection. Guide I: 53 and I: 58 offer a resolution to the first contradiction: intellect can be seen as an attribute of action. Guide I: 57 offers a resolution to the second problem: Maimonides describes a similarity between God's knowledge and ours through "looseness of expression" [tasämuh? ? ? ], which directs the mind towards a mystery it cannot fully grasp. Looseness of expression, attributes of action, and the way of negation ensure that the being we worship is truly God, and make room for genuine religious experience.
Table of Contents for my book, "The Quest for God and the Good: World Philosophy as a Living Expe... more Table of Contents for my book, "The Quest for God and the Good: World Philosophy as a Living Experience," published by Columbia University Press in 2011. Please contact my personal assistant, Brian Jenkin (bjenkin@bu.edu), if you are interested in reading chapters from this work.
Table of Contents for my book, "A Sufi-Jewish Dialogue: Philosophy and Mysticism in Bahya Ibn Paq... more Table of Contents for my book, "A Sufi-Jewish Dialogue: Philosophy and Mysticism in Bahya Ibn Paquda's Duties of the Heart," published by University of Pennsylvania Press in 2007. Please contact my personal assistant, Brian Jenkin (bjenkin@bu.edu), if you are interested in reading chapters from this work.
Table of Contents for my book, "Between Mysticism and Philosophy: Sufi Language of Religious Expe... more Table of Contents for my book, "Between Mysticism and Philosophy: Sufi Language of Religious Experience in Judah Ha-Levi's Kuzari," published by State University of New York Press in 2000. Please contact my personal assistant, Brian Jenkin (bjenkin@bu.edu), if you are interested in reading chapters from this work.
Saadya Gaon translates Ehyeh asher Ehyeh into Arabic as "the eternal (beginningless) that will no... more Saadya Gaon translates Ehyeh asher Ehyeh into Arabic as "the eternal (beginningless) that will not cease to be." Abraham Maimonides makes a conceptual identification between Saadya's interpretation of Ehyeh asher Ehyeh as eternity and the assertion of his father that Ehyeh asher Ehyeh signifies Necessary Existence. Moses Maimonides draws an allusive relationship between Ehyeh asher Ehyeh and the Tetragrammaton, perhaps hinting at a connection between the Tetragrammaton and the root hayah he is hesitant to openly spell out. As his son suggests, Maimonides hints that Ehyeh asher Ehyeh offers an explication of the Tetragrammaton.
19. Is Aristotle's language of love and desire simply a simile? His medieval commentator Averroes... more 19. Is Aristotle's language of love and desire simply a simile? His medieval commentator Averroes, an important resource for our understanding of the Arabic Aristotelian tradition of which Maimonides is a part, at first seems to suggest that the language is metaphorical, but then goes on to describe this as an intellectual love. Averroes writes at 1606, "this first mover imparts motion, without being moved, to the first object moved by it, just as the beloved moves his lover without being moved itself. . . The first heaven is moved by this mover by means of its desire for it, I mean because it imitates it according to its ability as the lover is moved to [imitate] the beloved. All the other celestial bodes are moved by their desire for the motion of the first body."
4. Slingerland, in accord with Pang Pu, suggests that the term wu-wei "describes a state of perso... more 4. Slingerland, in accord with Pang Pu, suggests that the term wu-wei "describes a state of personal harmony in which actions flow freely and instantly from one's spontaneous inclinations-without the need for extended deliberation or inner struggle--and yet nonetheless accord perfectly with the dictates of the situation at hand, display an almost supernatural efficacy and (in the Confucian context at least) harmonize with the demands of conventional morality . . . It represents not a transitory state but rather a set of dispositions that has been so thoroughly transformed as to conform with the normative order." Ivanhoe objects that, as Slingerland's translation "effortless action" suggests, wu-wei is properly a quality of actions and not agents, since nature is said to act in wu-wei fashion without being an agent. Ivanhoe, "The Paradox of
... While Halevi's letter to Samuel ben Hanania from Alexandria stresses that he longs for r... more ... While Halevi's letter to Samuel ben Hanania from Alexandria stresses that he longs for redemption of the land and restoration of Temple worship and the spirit of prophecy, the pil-grimage poetry resounds with solitary longing and lacks a call to messianic activism. ...
Page 1. Mil BTWN MYSTICISM AND PHILOSOPHY Sufi Language 0f Religi0us Experience in judah Ha-Le... more Page 1. Mil BTWN MYSTICISM AND PHILOSOPHY Sufi Language 0f Religi0us Experience in judah Ha-Levi's Kuzari DIANA LOBL Page 2. Page 3. ... Between mysticism and philosophy : Sufi language of religious experience in Judah Ha-Levi's Kuzari / Diana Lobel. p. cm. ...
Guide I: 68 presents two challenges to Maimonides' negative theology. In I: 50-60 Maimonides insi... more Guide I: 68 presents two challenges to Maimonides' negative theology. In I: 50-60 Maimonides insists that we cannot ascribe positive attributes to God; however, in I: 68, he affirms that God is intellect. Second, I: 56 and III: 20 assert that divine and human knowledge have nothing in common; "knowledge" is a purely equivocal term. However, I: 68 emphasizes that both divine and human knowledge exhibit a unity between subject, object, and the act of intellection. Guide I: 53 and I: 58 offer a resolution to the first contradiction: intellect can be seen as an attribute of action. Guide I: 57 offers a resolution to the second problem: Maimonides describes a similarity between God's knowledge and ours through "looseness of expression" [tasämuh? ? ? ], which directs the mind towards a mystery it cannot fully grasp. Looseness of expression, attributes of action, and the way of negation ensure that the being we worship is truly God, and make room for genuine religious experience.
Table of Contents for my book, "The Quest for God and the Good: World Philosophy as a Living Expe... more Table of Contents for my book, "The Quest for God and the Good: World Philosophy as a Living Experience," published by Columbia University Press in 2011. Please contact my personal assistant, Brian Jenkin (bjenkin@bu.edu), if you are interested in reading chapters from this work.
Table of Contents for my book, "A Sufi-Jewish Dialogue: Philosophy and Mysticism in Bahya Ibn Paq... more Table of Contents for my book, "A Sufi-Jewish Dialogue: Philosophy and Mysticism in Bahya Ibn Paquda's Duties of the Heart," published by University of Pennsylvania Press in 2007. Please contact my personal assistant, Brian Jenkin (bjenkin@bu.edu), if you are interested in reading chapters from this work.
Table of Contents for my book, "Between Mysticism and Philosophy: Sufi Language of Religious Expe... more Table of Contents for my book, "Between Mysticism and Philosophy: Sufi Language of Religious Experience in Judah Ha-Levi's Kuzari," published by State University of New York Press in 2000. Please contact my personal assistant, Brian Jenkin (bjenkin@bu.edu), if you are interested in reading chapters from this work.
Moses and Abraham Maimonides: Encountering the Divine, 2021
Moses Maimonides—a proud heir to the Andalusian tradition of Aristotelian philosophy—crafted a bo... more Moses Maimonides—a proud heir to the Andalusian tradition of Aristotelian philosophy—crafted a bold and original philosophical interpretation of Torah and Judaism. His son Abraham Maimonides is a fascinating maverick whose Torah commentary mediates between the philosophical interpretations of his father, the contextual approach of Biblical exegetes such as Saadya, and the Sufi-flavored illuminative mysticism of his Egyptian Pietist circle. This pioneering study explores the intersecting approaches of Moses and Abraham Maimonides to the spark of divine illumination and revelation of the divine name Ehyeh asher Ehyeh, “I am that I am / I will be who I will be.”
What does it mean to be truly happy? In Philosophies of Happiness, Diana Lobel provides a rich sp... more What does it mean to be truly happy? In Philosophies of Happiness, Diana Lobel provides a rich spectrum of arguments for a theory of happiness as flourishing or well-being, offering a global, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary perspective on how to create a vital, fulfilling, and significant life. Drawing upon perspectives from a broad range of philosophical traditions—Eastern and Western, ancient and contemporary—the book suggests that just as physical health is the well-being of the body, happiness is the healthy and flourishing condition of the whole human being, and we experience the most complete happiness when we realize our potential through creative engagement.
Lobel shows that while thick descriptions of happiness differ widely in texture and detail, certain themes resonate across texts from different traditions and historical contexts, suggesting core features of a happy life: attentive awareness; effortless action; relationship and connection to a larger, interconnected community; love or devotion; and creative engagement. Each feature adds meaning, significance, and value, so that we can craft lives of worth and purpose. These themes emerge from careful study of philosophical and religious texts and traditions: the Greek philosophers Aristotle and Epicurus; the Chinese traditions of Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi; the Hindu Bhagavad Gītā; the Japanese Buddhist tradition of Soto Zen master Dōgen and his modern expositor Shunryu Suzuki; the Western religious traditions of Augustine and Maimonides; the Persian Sufi tale Conference of the Birds; and contemporary research on mindfulness and creativity. Written in a clear, accessible style, Philosophies of Happiness invites readers of all backgrounds to explore and engage with religious and philosophical conceptions of what makes life meaningful.
Philosophies of Happiness: A Comparative Introduction to the Flourishing Life, 2017
What does it mean to be truly happy? In Philosophies of Happiness, Diana Lobel provides a rich sp... more What does it mean to be truly happy? In Philosophies of Happiness, Diana Lobel provides a rich spectrum of arguments for a theory of happiness as flourishing or well-being, offering a global, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary perspective on how to create a vital, fulfilling, and significant life. Drawing upon perspectives from a broad range of philosophical traditions—Eastern and Western, ancient and contemporary—the book suggests that just as physical health is the well-being of the body, happiness is the healthy and flourishing condition of the whole human being, and we experience the most complete happiness when we realize our potential through creative engagement.
Lobel shows that while thick descriptions of happiness differ widely in texture and detail, certain themes resonate across texts from different traditions and historical contexts, suggesting core features of a happy life: attentive awareness; effortless action; relationship and connection to a larger, interconnected community; love or devotion; and creative engagement. Each feature adds meaning, significance, and value, so that we can craft lives of worth and purpose. These themes emerge from careful study of philosophical and religious texts and traditions: the Greek philosophers Aristotle and Epicurus; the Chinese traditions of Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi; the Hindu Bhagavad Gītā; the Japanese Buddhist tradition of Soto Zen master Dōgen and his modern expositor Shunryu Suzuki; the Western religious traditions of Augustine and Maimonides; the Persian Sufi tale Conference of the Birds; and contemporary research on mindfulness and creativity. Written in a clear, accessible style, Philosophies of Happiness invites readers of all backgrounds to explore and engage with religious and philosophical conceptions of what makes life meaningful.
Philosophies of Happiness: A Comparative Introduction to the Flourishing Life, 2017
What does it mean to be truly happy? In Philosophies of Happiness, Diana Lobel provides a rich sp... more What does it mean to be truly happy? In Philosophies of Happiness, Diana Lobel provides a rich spectrum of arguments for a theory of happiness as flourishing or well-being, offering a global, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary perspective on how to create a vital, fulfilling, and significant life. Drawing upon perspectives from a broad range of philosophical traditions—Eastern and Western, ancient and contemporary—the book suggests that just as physical health is the well-being of the body, happiness is the healthy and flourishing condition of the whole human being, and we experience the most complete happiness when we realize our potential through creative engagement.
Lobel shows that while thick descriptions of happiness differ widely in texture and detail, certain themes resonate across texts from different traditions and historical contexts, suggesting core features of a happy life: attentive awareness; effortless action; relationship and connection to a larger, interconnected community; love or devotion; and creative engagement. Each feature adds meaning, significance, and value, so that we can craft lives of worth and purpose. These themes emerge from careful study of philosophical and religious texts and traditions: the Greek philosophers Aristotle and Epicurus; the Chinese traditions of Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi; the Hindu Bhagavad Gītā; the Japanese Buddhist tradition of Soto Zen master Dōgen and his modern expositor Shunryu Suzuki; the Western religious traditions of Augustine and Maimonides; the Persian Sufi tale Conference of the Birds; and contemporary research on mindfulness and creativity. Written in a clear, accessible style, Philosophies of Happiness invites readers of all backgrounds to explore and engage with religious and philosophical conceptions of what makes life meaningful.
in the language of medieval philosophy, a synthesis of Aristotelian and Neo platonic elements, an... more in the language of medieval philosophy, a synthesis of Aristotelian and Neo platonic elements, and describes the end of life in the language of human 1 He inherits a complex, abstract metaphysical view of nature
The Quest for God and the Good: World Philosophy as a Living Experience, 2011
Diana Lobel takes readers on a journey across Eastern and Western philosophical and religious tra... more Diana Lobel takes readers on a journey across Eastern and Western philosophical and religious traditions to discover a beauty and purpose at the heart of reality that makes life worth living. Guided by the ideas of ancient thinkers and the insight of the philosophical historian Pierre Hadot, The Quest for God and the Good treats philosophy not as an abstract, theoretical discipline, but as a living experience.
For centuries, human beings have struggled to know why we are here, whether a higher being or dimension exists, and whether our existence is fundamentally good. Above all, we want to know whether the search for God and the good will bring happiness. Following in the path of the ancient philosophers, Lobel directly connects conceptions of God or an Absolute with notions of the good, illuminating diverse classical texts and thinkers. She explores the Bible and the work of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Maimonides, al-Farabi, and al-Ghazali. She reads the Tao Te Ching, I Ching, Bhagavad Gita, and Upanishads, as well as the texts of Theravada, Mahayana, and Zen Buddhism, and traces the repercussions of these works in the modern thought of Alfred North Whitehead, Iris Murdoch, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Charles Taylor.
While each of these texts and thinkers sets forth a distinct and unique vision, all maintain that human beings find fulfillment in their contact with beauty and purpose. Rather than arriving at one universal definition of God or the good, Lobel demonstrates the aesthetic value of multiple visions presented by many thinkers across cultures. The Quest for God and the Good sets forth a path of investigation and discovery culminating in intellectual and spiritual communion.
Because of their religious and existential appeal, Judah Ha-Levi and Baḥya ibn Paquda are studied... more Because of their religious and existential appeal, Judah Ha-Levi and Baḥya ibn Paquda are studied in circles otherwise opposed to the study of philosophy. Ha-Levi emphasizes correct actions, whereas Baḥya emphasizes intention and internalization. Diana Lobel shows how both thinkers adopted Islamic, especially Su , terms and ideas, but adapted them to their Jewish context, thus exemplifying Wolfson's notion of "repercussions" rather than one-way "in uences." Her Quest for God and the Good contains broad ()-scholarship but goes beyond it to the multi-cultural philosophical search over the ages for the truth and the good life.
W e have said that the Upanishads resemble in certain respects the philosophy of Plato, while the... more W e have said that the Upanishads resemble in certain respects the philosophy of Plato, while the Bhagavad Gītā resembles that of Aristotle, who, like the Gītā , lays out a practical road of moral virtue. Thus students of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics usually walk away aware of the doctrine of the mean, the notion that the path to happiness is one of following the middle way between extremes. However, this practical aspect of Aristotle's Ethics , while it certainly takes up the bulk of his discussion, is only one dimension of Aristotle's thought. In fact, there is a deep divide in Aristotle between the practical, social realm of ethics and the call of the contemplative life. This cuts to the heart of Aristotle's conception of who we are as human beings, our role in the universe, our highest aspirations, and how we can live these aspirations in our everyday earthly life. In short, the key question of Aristotle's Ethics is this: is the goal of life the active, engaged life in society, or the contemplative ideal of the scholar? And if contemplation is our purpose in life, should all our endeavors be aimed toward it? Or should contemplation be balanced and integrated within a life of action? Another way of articulating the question is this: Does complete happiness lie in developing all our potential, or is there some one dimension of life that is so important that it should color our whole lives? Is the ideal life a completely focused life, or an exquisitely balanced life? Our discussion of Aristotle will aim at exploring and resolving this tension. 7 The Good Is That to Which All Things Aim aristotle on god and the good
Ehud Krinis opens this fascinating new examination of Judah Halevi's philosophical dialogue the K... more Ehud Krinis opens this fascinating new examination of Judah Halevi's philosophical dialogue the Kuzari by distinguishing two forms of skepticism: suspension of assent and doubt. The first type of skepticism emphasizes that the proper condition of intellectual inquiry is to avoid assent to any proposition (9). By contrast, the second type of skep ticism emphasizes that the proper condition of intellectual inquiry is to doubt specific propositions. In the first type, the method of investigation (skepsis) is to examine every argument and raise counterarguments, so that one arrives at a situation of isostheneia, the equipollence (equivalence) of counterarguments. One is thus encouraged to maintain a state of epochē, the suspension of judgment, so that one never settles into dogmatic certi tude, but rather ever continues on in the search for truth (10). By contrast, the skepticism of doubt is a process by which thinkers engage in rational investigation of propositions they have acquired uncritically. They may in the end return to accept these truths, but from a new, more wellfounded perspective. Krinis shows that Halevi engaged not only in the skepticism of casting doubt-as did al-Ghazālī, his contemporary in the Islamic world-but also in the classical skepticism of suspension of judgment (10-11, 51, 67-69). He describes the skepticism of both al-Ghazālī and Halevi as fideistic skepticism. He explains that in general, fideism is an approach which maintains that faith is independent of reason. Pure or radical fideism completely rejects the need for intellectual inquiry, insisting that faith must attain knowledge independently. Moderate fideism distinguishes certain fields in which intellectual inquiry is legitimate and leads to genuine knowledge from fields in which intellectual inquiry is invalid, fails to lead to knowledge, and is thus illegitimate and unnecessary (19). Krinis asserts that like al-Ghazālī, Halevi is a moderate fideist. Both thinkers argue that reason has a legitimate place in logic and mathematics, but has overstepped its bounds when it addresses physics and metaphysics. Krinis incisively shows the way Halevi reverses the values dominant in his contem porary JudeoArabic culture, a system of values Krinis terms "dogmatic rationalism." Halevi thus engages in a transvaluation of values. Whereas earlier JudeoArabic thinkers such as Saadya and Baḥya emphasized commandments given by reason, and even at tempted to find a rational basis for revealed commandments, Halevi emphasizes the divine commandments given by revelation to the Jewish nation alone, commandments
Because of their religious and existential appeal, Judah Ha-Levi and Baya ibn Paquda are studied ... more Because of their religious and existential appeal, Judah Ha-Levi and Baya ibn Paquda are studied in circles otherwise opposed to the study of philosophy. Ha-Levi emphasizes correct actions, whereas Baya emphasizes intention and internalization. Diana Lobel shows how both thinkers adopted Islamic, especially Sufi, terms and ideas, but adapted them to their Jewish context, thus exemplifying Wolfson's notion of "repercussions" rather than one-way "influences." Her Quest for God and the Good contains broad scholarship but goes beyond it to the multi-cultural philosophical search over the ages for the truth and the good life.
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Lobel shows that while thick descriptions of happiness differ widely in texture and detail, certain themes resonate across texts from different traditions and historical contexts, suggesting core features of a happy life: attentive awareness; effortless action; relationship and connection to a larger, interconnected community; love or devotion; and creative engagement. Each feature adds meaning, significance, and value, so that we can craft lives of worth and purpose. These themes emerge from careful study of philosophical and religious texts and traditions: the Greek philosophers Aristotle and Epicurus; the Chinese traditions of Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi; the Hindu Bhagavad Gītā; the Japanese Buddhist tradition of Soto Zen master Dōgen and his modern expositor Shunryu Suzuki; the Western religious traditions of Augustine and Maimonides; the Persian Sufi tale Conference of the Birds; and contemporary research on mindfulness and creativity. Written in a clear, accessible style, Philosophies of Happiness invites readers of all backgrounds to explore and engage with religious and philosophical conceptions of what makes life meaningful.
Lobel shows that while thick descriptions of happiness differ widely in texture and detail, certain themes resonate across texts from different traditions and historical contexts, suggesting core features of a happy life: attentive awareness; effortless action; relationship and connection to a larger, interconnected community; love or devotion; and creative engagement. Each feature adds meaning, significance, and value, so that we can craft lives of worth and purpose. These themes emerge from careful study of philosophical and religious texts and traditions: the Greek philosophers Aristotle and Epicurus; the Chinese traditions of Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi; the Hindu Bhagavad Gītā; the Japanese Buddhist tradition of Soto Zen master Dōgen and his modern expositor Shunryu Suzuki; the Western religious traditions of Augustine and Maimonides; the Persian Sufi tale Conference of the Birds; and contemporary research on mindfulness and creativity. Written in a clear, accessible style, Philosophies of Happiness invites readers of all backgrounds to explore and engage with religious and philosophical conceptions of what makes life meaningful.
Lobel shows that while thick descriptions of happiness differ widely in texture and detail, certain themes resonate across texts from different traditions and historical contexts, suggesting core features of a happy life: attentive awareness; effortless action; relationship and connection to a larger, interconnected community; love or devotion; and creative engagement. Each feature adds meaning, significance, and value, so that we can craft lives of worth and purpose. These themes emerge from careful study of philosophical and religious texts and traditions: the Greek philosophers Aristotle and Epicurus; the Chinese traditions of Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi; the Hindu Bhagavad Gītā; the Japanese Buddhist tradition of Soto Zen master Dōgen and his modern expositor Shunryu Suzuki; the Western religious traditions of Augustine and Maimonides; the Persian Sufi tale Conference of the Birds; and contemporary research on mindfulness and creativity. Written in a clear, accessible style, Philosophies of Happiness invites readers of all backgrounds to explore and engage with religious and philosophical conceptions of what makes life meaningful.
For centuries, human beings have struggled to know why we are here, whether a higher being or dimension exists, and whether our existence is fundamentally good. Above all, we want to know whether the search for God and the good will bring happiness. Following in the path of the ancient philosophers, Lobel directly connects conceptions of God or an Absolute with notions of the good, illuminating diverse classical texts and thinkers. She explores the Bible and the work of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Maimonides, al-Farabi, and al-Ghazali. She reads the Tao Te Ching, I Ching, Bhagavad Gita, and Upanishads, as well as the texts of Theravada, Mahayana, and Zen Buddhism, and traces the repercussions of these works in the modern thought of Alfred North Whitehead, Iris Murdoch, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Charles Taylor.
While each of these texts and thinkers sets forth a distinct and unique vision, all maintain that human beings find fulfillment in their contact with beauty and purpose. Rather than arriving at one universal definition of God or the good, Lobel demonstrates the aesthetic value of multiple visions presented by many thinkers across cultures. The Quest for God and the Good sets forth a path of investigation and discovery culminating in intellectual and spiritual communion.