In German Idealism and the Jew; Michael Mack uncovers the deep roots of anti-Semitism in the German philosophical tradition. While many have read German anti-Semitism as a reaction against Enlightenment philosophy; Mack instead contends that the redefinition of the Jews as irrational; oriental Others forms the very cornerstone of German idealism; including Kant's conception of universal reason.Offering the first analytical account of the connection between anti-Semitism and philosophy; Mack begins his exploration by showing how the fundamental thinkers in the German idealist tradition—Kant; Hegel; and; through them; Feuerbach and Wagner—argued that the human world should perform and enact the promises held out by a conception of an otherworldly heaven. But their respective philosophies all ran aground on the belief that the worldly proved incapable of transforming itself into this otherworldly ideal. To reconcile this incommensurability; Mack argues; philosophers created a construction of Jews as symbolic of the "worldliness" that hindered the development of a body politic and that served as a foil to Kantian autonomy and rationality.In the second part; Mack examines how Moses Mendelssohn; Heinrich Heine; Franz Rosenzweig; and Freud; among others; grappled with being both German and Jewish. Each thinker accepted the philosophies of Kant and Hegel; in varying degrees; while simultaneously critiquing anti-Semitism in order to develop the modern Jewish notion of what it meant to be enlightened—a concept that differed substantially from that of Kant; Hegel; Feuerbach; and Wagner. By speaking the unspoken in German philosophy; this book profoundly reshapes our understanding of it.
#709847 in Books University of Chicago Press 1977-02-15Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.36 x 5.88l; 1.59 #File Name: 0226346838539 pagesUniversity of Chicago Press
Review
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful. OutstandingBy CustomerI bought the 3 volume series of Marshall Hodgson's series on Islamic History after having heard about it in a conference. I count myself lucky that i have it with me. This series is a real gem; a scholarly work which deserves its place among the best of Islamic history books there are. Hodgson did not let his own bias filter through in these books and the result is a very objective and masterly look at Islamic history or 'Islamdom" as Marshall calls it. Definitely worth having this series on your shelves.Sohail Abbasabbas25304@gmail.com1 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy M. DiamondExcellent; well researched book with unique perspective on Islamicate culture. Very important for understanding the culture we face today.85 of 85 people found the following review helpful. Impressive Scope and Insight - A Magisterial WorkBy Netman1This review pertains to all three volumes in the Venture of Islam series.Hogdson set himself a rather bold and difficult task: (1) to tell the story of Islam from its foundation until the mid 20th Century (2) to deal with all the lands of Islam and not just the Arabs; the Turks or the Persians (so his account does not suffer from specious generalization from one geographic area or major ethnic group to the whole) and (3) to write a comprehensive history - political; social; intellectual (to give a complete account of Islam).By and large; Hodgson achieved his vision. The scope of his scholarship and range of his intellect is truly impressive. The work provides a very thought provoking account of the development of the Islamic world.There are four particularly noteworthy aspects to his work:(1) The book (like McNeill's "Rise of the West") does not address its topic in isolation; but rather shows how the major citied civilizations of the world influenced one another. This is one of the strengths of the book - placing Islam squarely within the currents of world history.(2) This is an original; not derivative; work. It is based on an analysis of primary sources (accounts from the period he is studying) rather than a repetition of the conclusions of later Muslim or Western scholars. This results in several refreshing challenges to common "wisdom" on Islamic history.(3) His analysis of the nature of agrarianate civilization is useful not only for understanding the development of Islam but of other civilizations as well. His discussion in Book 3 about the rise of the West and the fundamental shift from agrarian to modern technical society is particularly thought provoking.(4) His discussion about how various groups in the Islamic world reacted to the challenge posed by overwhelming western superiority is very illuminating not only about some of the contemporary problems we face in the Middle East but in a larger sense about the reaction of other non western peoples to the West.The book does have some drawbacks. First; its sheer bulk and discussion in detail of the various strands of civilization can be daunting and perhaps cause the reader to lose his way or interest. Second; Hodgson has a "social science" approach to writing history.What this means is that he insists on defining terms very carefully in the first 69 pagesof Book I to ensure precision of meaning in their later usage. Personally; this was the most difficult part of the book for me.As I view ratings as guides to the general non-specialist reader; I have assigned his work four stars.For a historian of the Middle East or a university level student; this book probably would rate five stars for the sheer intellectual breadth and Hodgson's theories - which even if not accepted in whole cloth will at least spark some very serious thinking.The non-specialist reader needs to make a real commitment in terms of attention. This is not an easy book; but if you make the effort; you will find not only your mind but also your perspective stretched.As you consider whether to buy this book; one further thought. Hodgson died before the work was in final form. A colleague of his Reuben W. Smith; III; took time from his own scholarly pursuits to finish Hodgson's work. If you understand anything about the academic world; you will understand the sacrifice that Smith made in that "publish or perish" world. The book does not carry his name but that of Hodgson. He believed that Hodgson's ideas were worthy of transmission to the larger public. That may be reason enough to buy this magnificent work.
