Salomón Maimón and the relentless search for truth

Abstract

This work introduces the life and work of the relevant Jewish philosopher Salomon Maimon. It examines his life context, his training in Talmudic studies, Kabbalah, and the philosophy of Christian Wolff and Moses Mendelssohn. Maimon became interested in the work of Immanuel Kant and wrote a critical commentary on the "Critique of Pure Reason" titled "Essay on Transcendental Philosophy." In this essay, Maimon presents the Doctrine of Differentials as an alternative to transcendental idealism, suggesting that differentials are the basis of knowledge, combining mathematically to form concepts and intuitions. He also formulates the principle of determinability, stating that every object must be determined by a concept that distinguishes it from others. Maimon adopts a skeptical attitude towards metaphysics and theology, considering that the existence of God and the soul cannot be determined, although he does not deny these ideas but rather views them as hypotheses that regulate morality and scientific progress. Finally, the contributions of Maimon's critical philosophy to later thinkers such as Fichte, Schelling, Hegel, Schopenhauer, and Gilles Deleuze are mentioned.