Nietzsche, Soloveitchik, and Contemporary Jewish Philosophy
Cambridge University Press, 6/28/2018
EAN 9781107109032, ISBN10: 1107109035
Hardcover, 326 pages, 23.5 x 15.8 x 2.4 cm
Language: English
What does one do as a Jewish philosopher if one is convinced by much of the Nietzschean critique of religion? Is there a contemporary Jewish philosophical theology that can convince in a post-metaphysical age? The argument of this book is that Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik (1903–1993) - the leading twentieth-century exponent of Modern Orthodoxy - presents an interpretation of halakhic Judaism, grounded in traditional sources, that brings a life-affirming Nietzschean sensibility to the religious life. Soloveitchik develops a form of Judaism replete with key Nietzschean ideas, which parries Nietzsche's critique by partially absorbing it. This original study of Soloveitchik's philosophy highlights his unique contribution to Jewish thought for students and scholars in Jewish studies, while also revealing his wider significance for those working more broadly in fields such as philosophy and religious studies.
Introduction
1. Nietzsche and Soloveitchik on knowledge and truth
why we know so much
2. Nietzsche and Soloveitchik on morality
why we are so good
3. Nietzsche and Soloveitchik on asceticism and the passions
why we are so life-affirming
4. Nietzsche and Soloveitchik on law and creativity
why we are so law-biding
5. Nietzsche and Soloveitchik on repentance
why we are so sorry
6. Nietzsche and Soloveitchik on suffering
why we are so profound
7. Nietzsche and Soloveitchik on elitism
why we are the best.