Description
Book SynopsisEmil L. Fackenheim, one of the most significant Jewish thinkers of the twentieth century, is best known for his deep and rich engagement with the implications of the Nazi Holocaust on Jewish thought, Christian theology, and philosophy. However, his career as a philosopher and theologian began two decades prior to his first efforts to confront that horrific event. In this book, renowned Fackenheim expert Michael L. Morgan offers the first examination of the full scope of Fackenheim’s 60-year career, beyond simply his work on the Holocaust.
Fackenheim’s Jewish Philosophy explores the most important themes of Fackenheim’s philosophical and religious thought and how these remained central, if not always in immutable ways, over his entire career. Morgan also provides insight into Fackenheim’s indebtedness to Kant, Hegel, and rabbinic midrash, as well as the changing character of his philosophical “voice.” The work concludes with a chapte
Trade Review
'A perceptive book written by a foremost student and interpreter.' -- Z. Garber Choice Magazine; vol 51:07:14 'Morgan's discussions are lucid, engaging, informative, and truly stimulating. He succeeds in bringing us into the presence of a philosophical teacher who, despite all shortcomings, gave voice to by now classical concerns of modern Jewish philosophy.' -- Michael Zank Notre Dame Philosophical Review, November 2014
Table of Contents
Introduction I. Can There Be Judaism Without Revelation? II. Selfhood and Freedom: From Situated Agency to the Hermeneutical Self III. Philosophy after Auschwitz: the Primacy of the Ethical IV. Fackenheim's Return to Kant V. The Hegelian Dimension in Fackenheim's Thought VI. Redemption, Messianism, and the State of Israel VII. History and Thought: Meaning and Dialectic VIII. The Midrash and Its Framework: Before and After Auschwitz IX. The Voice of the Jewish Philosopher X. Fackenheim's Legacy: Resources for Mending the World
