Jewish Philosophy: The Basics

This book introduces students and interested readers to two thousand years of Jewish philosophy, from its earliest inception to the current era. Fourteen chapters cover major figures in the medieval, modern and contemporary periods, as well as important themes and topics that have been part of Jewish thought for centuries.

List of contents

Introduction Part I: Medieval and Early Modern Jewish Philosophy 1. The Greek and Rabbinic Heritage 2. Searching for Union with God: The Neoplatonist Quest 3. Jewish Kalâm and Aristotelianism 4. God, Creation and Miracles 5. Evil and Divine Omniscience: Why do the innocent suffer? 6. Practical Morality: Living a Good Life Part 2. Modern Jewish Philosophy: Fifteenth Century to the Present 7. Prelude to Modernity 8. Is There a Right Way to Read Scripture? 9. The Eighteenth Century Enlightenment 10. The Idealist Turn 11. Jewish Existentialism 12. Philosophy of Dialogue 13. Belief and the Holocaust 14. Contemporary Issues: Zionism and Gender Equality 15. Concluding Postscript

About the author

T.M. Rudavsky is Professor of Philosophy (emerita) at The Ohio State University, USA. Recent publications include co-editor, along with S. Nadler, of the Cambridge History of Jewish Philosophy (2009), Maimonides (2010), and Jewish Philosophy in the Middle Ages: Science, Rationalism and Religion (2018).

Product details

• Authors: T.M. Rudavsky, T.m. (The Ohio State University Rudavsky
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 28.08.2025
• EAN: 9781032823249
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3282324-9
• No. of pages: 280
• Series: The Basics
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Social sciences (general); Popular Culture, PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Modern, PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Medieval, PHILOSOPHY / Movements / Existentialism, PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Renaissance, Religion: general, Jewish Studies, Regional Studies, Regional / International studies, Western philosophy: c 1600 to c 1900, Philosophical traditions and schools of thought, Non-Western philosophy, Western philosophy: Medieval & Renaissance, c 500 to c 1600, Social groups: religious groups and communities, Medieval Western philosophy