The Cambridge Companion to Modern Jewish Philosophy

Sixteen original essays by internationally prominent scholars on the central figures of modern Jewish philosophy from Spinoza to Levinas.

Michael L. Morgan (Edited by), Peter Eli Gordon (Edited by)

9780521012553, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 11 June 2007

406 pages
22.6 x 15 x 2.5 cm, 0.59 kg

'The book invites the reader to reflect on the delightful diversity of modern Jewish thought and to assess its relevance in the modern world. Recommended for all libraries.' International Review of Biblical Studies

Modern Jewish philosophy emerged in the seventeenth century, with the impact of the new science and modern philosophy on thinkers who were reflecting upon the nature of Judaism and Jewish life. This collection of essays examines the work of several of the most important of these figures, from the seventeenth to the late-twentieth centuries, and addresses themes central to the tradition of modern Jewish philosophy: language and revelation, autonomy and authority, the problem of evil, messianism, the influence of Kant, and feminism. Included are essays on Spinoza, Mendelssohn, Cohen, Buber, Rosenzweig, Fackenheim, Soloveitchik, Strauss, and Levinas. Other thinkers discussed include Maimon, Benjamin, Derrida, Scholem, and Arendt. The sixteen original essays are written by a world-renowned group of scholars especially for this volume and give a broad and rich picture of the tradition of modern Jewish philosophy over a period of four centuries.

1. Introduction: modern Jewish philosophy, modern philosophy, and modern Judaism Michael L. Morgan and Peter Eli Gordon
2. Baruch Spinoza and the naturalization of Judaism Steven Nadler
3. The liberalism of Moses Mendelssohn Allan Arkush
4. Jewish philosophy after Kant: the legacy of Salomon Maimon Paul W. Franks
5. Hermann Cohen: Judaism and critical idealism Andrea Poma
6. Self, other, text, God: the dialogical thought of Martin Buber Tamara Wright
7. Franz Rosenzweig and the philosophy of Jewish existence Peter Eli Gordon
8. Leo Strauss and modern Jewish thought Steven B. Smith
9. Messianism and modern Jewish philosophy Pierre Bouretz
10. Ethics, authority, and autonomy Kenneth Seeskin
11. Joseph Soloveitchik and Halakhic man Lawrence Kaplan
12. Emmanuel Levinas: Judaism and the primacy of the ethical Richard A. Cohen
13. Emil Fackenheim, the Holocaust, and philosophy Michael L. Morgan
14. Evil, suffering, and the Holocaust Berel Lang
15. Revelation, language, and commentary: from Buber to Derrida Leora Batnitzky
16. Feminism and modern Jewish philosophy Tamar Rudavsky.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX], Judaism [HRJ]