Phil332 / JWST348 Philosophy of Religion: Emil Fackenheim
Tues / Thurs 8:35-9:55, Room: Lea 14
This is not a survey course in the Philosophy of Religion; rather, we focus on one thinker, Emil
Fackenheim, a Jewish philosopher and theologian.
This class, which will, numbers permitted, be conducted as a seminar, aims to explore
Fackenheim’s thought, primarily in a close reading and discussion of Fackenheim’s most
important and original philosophical work: To Mend the World: Foundations of Post-Holocaust
Jewish Thought.
We will begin with an initial contextual reading of a number of shorter essay pieces which focus
on the question of Jewish thought and existence after the Holocaust and after the establishment of
the Jewish State. These essays will include Fackenheim’s now-classic reading of Hegel’s dictum
on the actuality of rationality and the rationality of actuality; the important and influential piece
entitled simply “The 614th Commandment,” where Fackenheim derives one additional
commandment, following the Holocaust, to be added to those given to Moses and the Jewish
people (“the authentic Jew of today is forbidden to hand Hitler another, posthumous victory”);
and, “After Auschwitz, Jerusalem,” which explores the significance and interrelation between
these two new facts of Jewish existence.
Our main reading of To Mend the World will focus on a number of issues: philosophical,
theological, geo-political. Can there be a philosophical working-through of the Holocaust? If not,
what is the function of an authentic Jewish philosophy? Can it only point the way beyond itself,
to something that is no longer philosophy? What is the Jew’s (and also the human) relationship to
God after the Holocaust? Does it remain unchanged? How are we to understand Fackenheim’s
summing-up of his thought as “listening to the silent voice of God?” Lastly, does the 614th
commandment lead ineluctably to the Zionist establishment of the State of Israel as a Jewish
state? Is this – and the defense of this state against any claim made against it – the only authentic
response – the only or primary moral imperative – of the Jew today? What are the ramifications
of this for interfaith dialogue, Christian and Jewish, on the one hand (which Fackenheim
addresses); Muslim and Jewish, on the other hand (which Fackenheim does not address)? What
are the ramifications for geo-politics? Can one accept the 614th commandment, and the analysis in
To Mend the World which undergirds this commandment, yet interpret or act out its moral
command in another way than Fackenheim does?
In addition to the essays and To Mend the World, we will also read significant sections of
Fackenheim’s more accessible book, What is Judaism? An Interpretation for the Current Age.
We may also read portions of Fackenheim’s forthcoming autobiography, From Halle to
Jerusalem: an Epitaph for German Judaism.
Ideally, this seminar will be discussion based. Students are encouraged to bring their own
interests and specific areas of expertise to bear in this collective endeavor. Though the reading of
Fackenheim will remain the core of the seminar, this exercise is also meant to foster an authentic
reflection about the world today and of tomorrow, and our existential (philosophical and political)
positioning within this world.
There will be either one long paper due at the end, or several short “response pieces” throughout,
depending on student preferences. Student participation in discussion will also be weighted in the
final grading.