Description
Book SynopsisElliot R. Wolfson intervenes in the debate over Martin Heidegger and Nazism from a unique perspective, as a scholar of Jewish mysticism and philosophy who has been profoundly influenced by Heidegger’s work. He reveals crucial aspects of Heidegger’s thinking that betray an affinity with dimensions of Jewish thought.
Trade ReviewIf Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe was right when stating that the ‘secret of Nazism is buried in Heidegger,’ we must face down this troubled legacy. Elliot Wolfson leads us to the uncomfortable zone of true thinking. Without condemnation but on the razor’s edge of incessant probing, the work calls up a recasting of political engagement. Mere condemnation or strategies of avoidance can no longer cut it. -- Avital Ronell, New York University
The Duplicity of Philosophy's Shadow represents one of the most sustained and creative engagements with the legacy of Heidegger. Rather than marginalize Heidegger and ostracize those who engage his writings, Wolfson instead opts for critical engagement and intellectual honesty. His poetic wrestling is simultaneously exciting and timely. -- Aaron W. Hughes, University of Rochester
In
The Duplicity of Philosophy’s Shadow, Wolfson gathers together immense amounts of documentation and compresses it into a lively, readable analysis that combines scope and comprehensiveness with incisive focus on the core issues. He has the talent and the patience to deliver the painstaking labor necessary to provide such syntheses. Wolfson’s scholarly expertise deeply impresses this work with his own signature. -- William Franke, Vanderbilt University
Neither apologetic nor denunciatory, Wolfson masterfully summons the lucidity of a philosopher, the erudition of a scholar, and the profoundness of a mystic to face one of modern thought’s most disturbing riddles: how could Heidegger bring so much philosophical light and evince so much political darkness? In this powerful, crepuscular display, Heideggerian and kabbalistic insights on the ambiguity of truth converge to elucidate the philosopher’s very darkness as the shadow of his philosophical radiance. -- Elad Lapidot, Free University of Berlin
This rich scholarly treatment of Heidegger's social, political, and philosophical life adds a voice to Heideggerian studies that should not be missed....Highly recommended. * Choice *
Elliot Wolfson’s
The Duplicity of Philosophy’s Shadow: Heidegger, Nazism, and the Jewish Other is, in my opinion, the most sophisticated engagement with the 'problem' of Martin Heidegger’s Nazism in the English language * Reading Religion *
Table of ContentsPreface: Calculating Heidegger’s Miscalculation
1. Barbaric Enchantment: From Existential Ontology to Abyssal Meontology
2. Nomadism, Homelessness, and the Obfuscation of Being
3. Jewish Time and the Historiographical Eclipse of Historical Destiny
4. Being’s Tragedy: Heidegger’s Silence and the Ring of Solitude
5. Political Disavowal: Truth and Concealing the Unconcealment
6. Heidegger, Balaam, and the Duplicity of Philosophy’s Shadow
Afterword
Notes
Bibliography
Index
