The Matter and Form of Maimonides' Guide

According to this reading, Maimonides' formulation of the ideal of intellectual perfection through metaphysical speculation stated explicitly in the Guide is merely a façade through which the discerning reader will perceive his true ("esoteric") view, namely, that the knowledge proffered by the Torah leads to political, civic, and moral-rather than theoretical or intellectual-perfection, which is, in fact, the highest ideal to which man can, and should, strive. According to both groups, the chief concern of the Guide is metaphilosophical, as it addresses the problem of the relationship between philosophy and scriptural religion, between reason and revelation.