This course delves into the central themes of modern Jewish philosophy, exploring how thinkers from the Enlightenment to the present have grappled with issues of religious autonomy, rationalism, and the tension between tradition and modernity. We will examine the challenges posed by Spinoza’s critique of religion, Mendelssohn’s defense of Jewish identity within a secular world, and Marx’s radical rethinking of religion’s role in society. Moving into the 20th century, we will confront the philosophical implications of the Holocaust, the existential questions of temporality, death, and the relation with the Other, and the enduring tension between ethics, Judaism, and the State of Israel. The course will also consider the problem of theodicy, the banality of evil, and the evolving relationship between Jewish ethical responsibility and the modern world. Through these themes, students will gain a nuanced understanding of how Jewish philosophy both shapes and is shaped by broader currents in Western thought, offering a unique perspective on the Jewish experience within the larger philosophical tradition.
About the Teacher
Dr. Yael Lin teaches at both Ben-Gurion University and Achva Academic College, and is the pedagogical consultant for the Department of Learning Technologies at Ben-Gurion University. She is the author of The Intersubjectivity of Time: Levinas and Infinite Responsibility (Duquesne University Press, 2013), Time and Human Existence: Aristotle, Bergson, Heidegger, Levinas (Resling Publishing, forthcoming), and the editor of Levinas Faces Biblical Figures (Lexington Books, 2014).
Course information
Teacher
Dr. Yael Lin