JWST 26.01 Heidegger and Jewish Thought

The German philosopher Martin Heidegger is a paradoxical figure that embodies the ambivalence of modern Western philosophy. On the one hand, Heidegger is one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century, who already during his lifetime inspired generations of students and many other great philosophers worldwide, in the fields of ontology, phenomenology, existentialism, hermeneutics and inter-cultural philosophy. He has more specifically been a key inspiration for many authors to explore ways of thinking beyond Western philosophy, in other traditions of thought, such as the Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Islamic and Jewish. On the other hand, Heidegger was involved in the early movement of National Socialism and held anti-Semitic positions, as recently published in the last decade. This seminar will explore the riddle of Martin Heidegger, first by exploring his basic ideas, as formulated in his most important work, Being and Time from 1927; and then by exploring ways in which these ideas influenced Jewish thinkers, who received and adopted them, but also problematized, criticized and adjusted them. We will see how the work of Martin Heidegger functioned – and functions still – as a source for a renewal of contemporary Jewish thought beyond Western philosophy.

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:TMV; WCult:W

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Department-Specific Course Categories

Jewish Studies