The Cambridge companion to modern Jewish philosophy

Abstract

Modern Jewish philosophy constitutes an intellectual tradition defined by the persistent confrontation between Jewish communal existence and the methodologies of modern science and Western philosophy. Originating in the seventeenth century with the naturalized theology of Baruch Spinoza, this field evolved through the Enlightenment liberalism of Moses Mendelssohn and the subsequent legacy of German Idealism. Critical developments include the neo-Kantian systematicism of Hermann Cohen, the dialogical philosophy of Martin Buber, and the existentialist “new thinking” of Franz Rosenzweig. The tradition addresses fundamental tensions between individual autonomy and religious authority, the nature of revelation versus its linguistic expression, and the function of Messianism as either a historical or metaphysical force. The mid-twentieth century introduced a profound rupture in response to the Holocaust, necessitating new philosophical categories to address radical evil and the collapse of traditional theodicy, particularly in the work of Emil Fackenheim. Further refinements involve the halakhic phenomenology of Joseph Soloveitchik, the political philosophy of Leo Strauss, and the ethical metaphysics of Emmanuel Levinas. In its later iterations, the discipline incorporates post-structuralist inquiries into textuality and commentary, exemplified by Jacques Derrida, alongside feminist critiques that challenge gendered hierarchies within traditional philosophical and halakhic frameworks. Collectively, these inquiries demonstrate how modern Jewish thought recontextualizes ancient doctrinal commitments within the evolving landscape of contemporary reason and historical catastrophe. – AI-generated abstract.