Solomon Maimon and his Autobiography as a Portrait of Eastern European Jewish Culture Essay

Solomon Maimon and his Autobiography as a Portrait of Eastern European Jewish Culture Called one of the great thinkers of the eighteenth century, SolomonMaimon became a major figure of European philosophy, set apart by hisoriginally humble Jewish background. His autobiography, in turn, paints apicture of the daily lives and experiences of the East European Jewry.Maimon's accounts not only document his growth as a philosopher, but alsoact as a primary source of information regarding the culture of PolishJews. More than culture, the memoir alludes specifically to the limitationsand varieties of Jewish intellectuality, Judeo-Christian relationships inextremely close contact with each other, the popularization and culture ofKabbalah, and the ultimate rise of Hasidism in Eastern Europe. These fourareas, Maimon appears to imply, would become the most defining elements ofEastern European Jewish culture. As with most other Europeans, the Jews would also be profoundlyimpacted and influenced by the introduction of the printing press, whichwould ultimately change the world entirely. The obvious reason for this isthat books became far cheaper than they had been in the days ofmanuscripts, thus giving more groups of people access to literacy andknowledge1. The result of all of this is the increasing difficulty tocontrol knowledge, as it was no longer only accessible to nobility. Beforethe press, the transmitter of knowledge (the teacher) was the clearestaccess one could have to the teachings in scriptures and books, but withthe introduction of the printing press, the teacher's authority was nolonger guaranteed2. The growth of literacy and interpretation of newlyprinted books and scriptures would spark both notable movements andindividual figures. Though the printing press allowed for the giving andspreading of knowledge, censorship and the utilization of a weakeducational system would prove vital to controlling this...

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