Q&A: A Contradiction in Maimonides
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
A Contradiction in Maimonides
Question
What is the explanation for the fact that Maimonides, in Guide of the Perplexed, writes that the purpose of the world (animals, stars, plants, etc.) is not for human use, but rather that they have an independent role, whereas in the introduction to his commentary on the Mishnah he writes the exact opposite: that the entire purpose of the world, including humanity, is for the sake of the person perfected in wisdom, while most human beings were created in order to sustain the world and to provide society for those perfected individuals?
Answer
I don't know.
Seemingly, in Guide of the Perplexed the discussion is about the spheres and the angels, while in the commentary on the Mishnah the discussion is about plants and animals, which in practice do serve human beings; this requires further consideration.