Description
Book SynopsisThis volume of essays examines key themes in Jewish philosophy and ethics from the rigourous perspective of philosophical analysis. The first set of essays takes up the challenge of living a Jewish life, and includes essays on pleasure, joy, human suffering, Jewish ritual practice and the philosophical life. The second set of essays analyses the value and meaning of autonomy, human freedom and tolerance in Jewish thought, crucial themes in western political thought and life.
Other essays in the volume examine the many meanings of Jewish texts, and such crucial issues in applied Jewish ethics as ecology, medical ethics, and justified homicide. Finally, a number of essays plumb the depths of one of the most influential and creative Jewish thinkers of the twentieth century, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Taken as a whole, this volume advances the engagement of classical Jewish themes with Anglo-American philosophy, shedding new light both on the Jewish tradition, and on the western philosophical enterprise.
Trade Review“In one of the many felicitous expressions in this wide-ranging book, Moshe Sokol says that Rabbi Soloveitchik, the subject of several penetrating essays here, made Brisk (the town of his Talmudic origin and tradition) speak in the language of Berlin (where Rabbi Soloveitchik studied philosophy). Similarly, through the subtle application of the tools of analytic philosophy, Moshe Sokol makes both Maimonides and Soloveitchik speak in the accents of Oxford. Analytic philosophy often runs the risk of triviality; in the hands of a masterful practitioner such as Moshe Sokol, it becomes a supple tool for clarifying the obscure. Judaism Examined is well worth examining closely!” —Menachem Kellner, University of Haifa|"Judaism Examined: Essays in Jewish Philosophy and Ethics is a model of meticulous scholarship that is both thoughtful and thought-provoking. Erudite and articulate Judaism Examined: Essays in Jewish Philosophy and Ethics is very highly recommended for personal and academic Judaic Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists." —Wisconsin Bookwatch (April 2014)
