Medieval Jewish philosophy and the lessons of history
From Philosopher's Zone by ABC
March 11, 2026 · 31 min
About this episode
This episode explores medieval Jewish philosophy and its interactions with Islamic culture, highlighting its relevance to modern philosophical inquiries.
We secular moderns sometimes make the assumption that philosophy is what you do when you're interested in the Big Questions of human existence, but not interested in religious answers. But the sacred/secular divide is itself a modern invention, and would not have made sense to medieval thinkers. This week we're exploring medieval Jewish philosophy - its fascinating cross-fertilisation with the Islamic culture of its day, its primary philosophical concerns and the things it can teach us about navigating a precarious and challenging world today.
People in this episode
Host: ABC
Topics covered
- medieval philosophy
- Jewish philosophy
- Islamic culture
- sacred/secular divide
- historical lessons
- human existence
Keywords
- medieval philosophy
- Jewish thought
- Islamic influence
- sacred secular divide
- philosophical concerns
- history lessons
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Medieval Jewish philosophy, Islamic culture
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