Rav Leibowitz
In the previous posts we discussed man’s unique
intellectual faculties and explored man’s unique free will, which
is itself a result of man’s capability to think abstractly. We noted that man’s free will empowers (and
obligates) him to decide where to invest his intellectual abilities. We also suggested that man’s elevated
position in creation demands that he choose to use his mind for pursuits that transcend
those shared with the animal world.
We will now to turn to determining where to invest his
intellect. What is man to do with his
mind and his unique intellectual faculties?
What field of study and what life pursuits are most fitting for the
attention of man’s mind?
The Pursuit of Truth
The pursuit of wisdom is the process of clarifying “truth.” But what is “truth?” Truth – ultimate truth – is related to
perception. When one is in possession of
truth, he has achieved and acquired the correct perception of reality.
Man, who is able to transcend the practical realm and operate
on an abstract theoretical level, is not forced to accept superficial – and
false – perspectives of reality. He can,
and he should, probe the world around him in order to uncover deeper – truer – perceptions
of reality. This process of clarifying
reality perforce includes distinguishing between what is real and true and what
is falsehood and only superficially true.
Through this process, man slowly acquires a clearer and clearer perception
of reality. This is the path to the
ultimate acquisition of truth, and one of the most significant utilization of
the mind, as the Rambam writes,
Intellect [means] to form in his mind the truth of reality to
the best of his ability and to understand all that he can possible grasp
(Rambam, Introduction to Commentary on the Mishna)
If the greatest intellectual pursuit that man can undertake
with his mind is the proper perception of reality, where does man begin? Which fields of study are the most fitting for
perceiving reality and acquiring truth?
To clarify the truth of reality, man must seek to understand
the world around him. On the most basic
level this is attained by gaining greater knowledge of the physical world. This sharpens man’s perception of reality, at
least as it is manifest in the physical world.
The abstract mind assists man in this pursuit, as he is able to not only
consider what he senses through his sight, hearing, touch, etc., but also allows
him to contemplate deeper realities, ones that are not always perceptible to
basic human senses.
The other forms of intellect in man that we identified earlier
must also be utilized to clarify truth. For
example, man’s intellect that is able to distinguish between right and wrong,
justice and injustice, kindness and cruelty must be utilized in the pursuit of
moral wisdom. Man must identify positive
character traits and develop disdain for negative behavior.
The same is true in the realm of emotional
intelligence. Man must study the science
of emotions, to learn how to understand others and to gain greater insight into
human emotions.
Knowledge of the Creator
All of the above mentioned pursuits are crucial for
understanding the truths of our world and human existence. But if man is charged to use his intellect to
gain a truthful perception of reality, so then the ultimate goal must be to
understand and perceive the greatest reality that exists. Which is, the source of all reality – the Creator. Using his free will, man must chose to focus his
intellectual faculties to attempt to understand the Creator and His ways. This knowledge of the Divine is mankind’s
greatest intellectual pursuit.
Use of the intellect in pursuit of “knowledge of the Divine”
distinguishes man from the rest of creation and earns him his most exalted
position in the hierarchy of creation.
Indeed, Rambam tells us that it is only an abstract – human – mind that can
begin to form intellectual conceptions of the divine.
Intellect is what distinguishes mankind from the other species
of living beings. For man is an
intellectual being. And the meaning of
intellect is the ability to form in the mind concepts and ideas… The most
elevated intellectual conception is when man forms in his mind the unity [or
uniqueness] of God, and other related divine knowledge. Indeed, all other wisdom is only to develop
the mind to be able to grasp knowledge of God.
When man expresses his free will and chooses to apply his
abstract thinking in pursuit of divine knowledge – be it directly, or through
studying that various preparatory fields that facilitate this knowledge – he is
properly utilizing his elevated capabilities and assumes his exalted position
in the hierarchy of creation. He has
transcended the practical and the instinctive, and is engaged with pursuit of a
deeper understanding of life and a truer perception of reality.
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