Short Course Description
From the 18th century up to the 20th century, the notion of a "Jewish question" lingered over a wide-ranging discourse regarding the situation of the Jewish minority in Europe. Some of the greatest philosophers of European modernity, whether directly or not, addressed this question. As such, even if the question in and of itself was often merely political, it reflects a wide range of fascinating philosophical problems regarding not only their perception of the nature of Judaism, but also regarding the meaning of nationalism, secularism and toleration. Furthermore, at times the ?Jewish question? reflects thoughts relating to the philosophical underpinnings of modern antisemitism.
In this course, we will look at some of the seminal writings of the great thinkers about the ?Jewish question?, analyzing the relation of their writings about this issue with more general aspects of their thought and exploring the ways in which these modes of thought can inform contemporary debates about related matters.
We shall read texts by: Immanuel Kant, Voltaire, Bruno Bauer, Karl Marx, Martin Heidegger, Hannah Arendt and Jean Paul Sartre.
Full syllabus will be available to registered students only
