Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1786) was the premier Jewish thinker of his day and one of the best-known figures of the German Enlightenment, earning the sobriquet 'the Socrates of Berlin'. He was thoroughly involved in the central issue of Enlightenment religious thinking: the inevitable conflict between reason and revelation in an age contending with individual rights and religious toleration. He did not aspire to a comprehensive philosophy of Judaism, since he thought human reason was limited, but he did see Judaism as compatible (...) with toleration and rights. David Sorkin offers a close study of Mendelssohn's complete writings, treating the German, and the often-neglected Hebrew writings, as a single corpus and arguing that Mendelssohn's two spheres of endeavour were entirely consistent. (shrink)

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Paul Guyer presents the first in-depth examination of the lifelong intellectual relationship between two of the greatest figures of the European Enlightenment, Immanuel Kant and Moses Mendelssohn. He explores their influence on each other and their disagreements, with particular focus on metaphysics, religion, and aesthetics.

The "German Socrates," Moses Mendelssohn was the most influential Jewish thinker of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. A Berlin celebrity and a major figure in the Enlightenment, revered by Immanuel Kant, Mendelssohn suffered the indignities common to Jews of his time while formulating the philosophical foundations of a modern Judaism suited for a new age. His most influential books included the groundbreaking Jerusalem and a translation of the Bible into German that paved the way for generations of Jews to master (...) the language of the larger culture.Feiner's book is the first that offers a full, human portrait of this fascinating man--uncommonly modest, acutely aware of his task as an intellectual pioneer, shrewd, traditionally Jewish, yet thoroughly conversant with the world around him--providing a vivid sense of Mendelssohn's daily life as well as of his philosophical endeavors. Feiner, a leading scholar of Jewish intellectual history, examines Mendelssohn as father and husband, as a friend, as a tireless advocate for his people, and as an equally indefatigable spokesman for the paramount importance of intellectual independence. (shrink)

Performing reason: Mendelssohn on Judaism and enlightenment -- Jacobi and Mendelssohn: the tragedy of a messianic friendship -- In the year of the Lord 1800: Rosenzweig and the Spinoza quarrel -- Reinhold and Kant: the quest for a new religion of reason -- Beautiful life: Mendelssohn, Hegel, and Rosenzweig -- Mendelssohn, Rosenzweig, and political theology: beyond sovereign violence -- Beyond 1800: an immigrant Rosenzweig.

Moses Mendelssohn, the author of numerous works on natural theology and ethics, was also the first modern philosopher of Judaism. This book places 039039;s thought within the context of the Leibnizian-Wolffian school, the writings of Kant and Lessing and other major figures of the Enlightenment, and within the age-old tradition of Jewish rationalism. More than any previous treatment of this subject, it questions the extent to which Mendelssohn truly succeeded in reconciling his allegiance to the philosophy of the Enlightenment with (...) his adherence to Judaism. -- Back cover. (shrink)

Empört über den zunehmenden Einfluß revolutionsfeindlicher Publikationen, wollte Fichte mit seinem anonym erschienenen Beitrag wirksam in den aktuellen politischen Meinungsstreit eingreifen. Dabei verstand er das Recht auf Revolution als Befugnis jedes einzelnen, aus dem eigenen Staat auszuscheiden und mit Gleichgesinnten politisch souveräne Verbände zu konstituieren, die verpflichtet sein sollten, in friedlich-naturrechtlichen Beziehungen miteinander zu leben.

Jedyną, bezwzględnie dobrą rzeczą jest dobra wola. Jedyną rzeczą wartą zachodu, której od człowieka można oczekiwać, jest wysiłek podjęcia wszelkich starań, służących rozwinięciu predyspozycji do dobra, zawartych w ludzkiej naturze. Jedyną prawdziwą religią jest wiara moralna rozumiana jako „niezbędne zaufanie w Boską pomoc ze względu na wszel­kie dobro, które przy naszych najuczciwszych staraniach nie jest jednak w naszej mocy". Z pewnością jest wiele powodów, jakie usprawiedliwiają narzekania na jednostronność Kaniowskiej filozofii religii. Nie ulega jednak wątpliwości, że odrodzenie moralne człowieka nie (...) jest dla religii zadaniem marginalnym. Według Kanta jest to jedyne istotne zadanie religii, które, jak wierzą chrześcijanie, zostało pierwotnie zrealizowane w osobie Jezu­sa z Nazaretu. Czy chrześcijaństwo poniosłoby szkodę, gdyby uznać je za zadanie jedyne; czy uchybilibyśmy mu, uznając, że podczas realizacji tego zadania nie trzeba pokładać zaufania w - zawsze przecież wątpliwym - hi­storycznym objawieniu?Większa część refleksji na temat religii w pismach Kanta ma charakter czysto negatywny. Krytyka dowodów na istnienie Boga, polemika z trady­cyjnymi sposobami uprawiania spekulacji metafizycznej czy dyskusja na te­mat prawa do wypowiadania się w sprawach religii i interpretacji Pisma św. służą tylko dostarczeniu miejsca dla wiary moralnej. Kant konsekwentnie pokazuje, czym religia nie jest, i równie uporczywie powtarza, czym powinna być. Bez wątpienia w wielu wątkach filozofia re­ligii Immanuela Kanta jest kontynuacją oświeceniowej refleksji nad religią, choć na tle epoki zajmuje pozycję szczególną - w pismach królewieckiego filozofa koncentrują się bowiem najważniejsze problemy filozofii religii, uzyskując klasyczne rozwiązania. (shrink)

Spinoza was one of the most influential figures of the Enlightenment, but his often obscure metaphysics makes it difficult to understand the ultimate message of his philosophy. Although he regarded freedom as the fundamental goal of his ethics and politics, his theory of freedom has not received sustained, comprehensive treatment. Spinoza holds that we attain freedom by governing ourselves according to practical principles, which express many of our deepest moral commitments. Matthew J. Kisner focuses on this theory and presents an (...) alternative picture of the ethical project driving Spinoza's philosophical system. His study of the neglected practical philosophy provides an accessible and concrete picture of what it means to live as Spinoza's ethics envisioned. (shrink)

Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View essentially reflects the last lectures Kant gave for his annual course in anthropology, which he taught from 1772 until his retirement in 1796. The lectures were published in 1798, with the largest first printing of any of Kant's works. Intended for a broad audience, they reveal not only Kant's unique contribution to the newly emerging discipline of anthropology, but also his desire to offer students a practical view of the world and of humanity's (...) place in it. With its focus on what the human being 'as a free-acting being makes of himself or can and should make of himself,' the Anthropology also offers readers an application of some central elements of Kant's philosophy. This volume offers a new annotated translation of the text by Robert B. Louden, together with an introduction by Manfred Kuehn that explores the context and themes of the lectures. (shrink)

Context -- A Jew in Amsterdam -- Conflicts and communities -- Christian philosophy? -- A Bible gallery -- Religion and politics in the TTP -- Miracles, meaning, and moderation -- Christian pluralism -- Ethics reconsidered -- Providence, obedience, and love -- Spinoza and Christianity.