The four Jewish thinkers we will study span four centuries, do not belong to a single unified philosophical tradition, or share essential beliefs. They are each considered canonical thinkers in the development of modernity and contribute unique insights in what it means to be human. Their sole similarity seems to be that they were Jewish, yet what that means differs for each. Spinoza was famously excommunicated from Judaism and Christianity; Bergson converted to Protestantism; Arendt was a fierce and uncompromising defender of Jews yet is also considered by some a self-hating Jew; and Levinas consistently pursued his dual interests in Talmudic studies and traditional secular philosophy.

In this class, we’ll focus on a close reading of one book for each of these thinkers. Spinoza’s Ethics, Bergson’s Two Sources of Morality and Religion, Arendt’s The Human Condition, and Levinas’s Infinity and Totality. How these thinkers reflect Jewishness in their thinking will be an ongoing question posed.

Dr. Jonathan Berk received his PhD in Philosophy at The New School for Social Research in 2023. He studied the history of Modern philosophy (17^th-19^th century), specializing in Immanuel Kant’s The Critique of Pure Reason. He teaches philosophy courses at Fordham University, Pratt Institute and John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Jonathan’s approach to philosophy is to look at key metaphors and how they change over historical circumstances, using these metaphors as a key to understanding the shifts in vast conceptual systems.