The "God-idea" and Judaism

"It is generally said that modern man ought to be above religion. It is, however, not said what should be above modern man."  -- Hermann Cohen

Cohen, one of the foremost Jewish philosophers of the 19th century, saw secular ideals and universal ethics to be of supreme importance. He also saw the Jewish striving for social justice to be uniquely Jewish, and he felt that if any Jewish belief or ritual or ceremony served to uphold the Jewish value and move the Jewish energy toward social justice, then it was not to be discarded. Ethical monotheism was the reason for Judaism's continued existence.

Here's the continuation of the quote from Cohen above:

"It is, however, not said what should be above modern man -- what he should recognize, or define, as the ultimate principle of his being. If modern man is considered to be even above God, then Judaism is indeed antiquated. But as long as we feel that the God-idea is still valid for our modern culture, Judaism, too, is valid still."

--T.A.

Comments

[Chaviva]

When you say Jewish philosopher, do you mean a philosopher who happens to be Jewish or one who is a practitioner of philosophy of the Jewish variety?

I shall explore this in a paper ... B"H ... unless my head explodes first :)

[david]

Chavi Jo: Great question! Cohen really was the Jewish godfather of the social justice movement. He held that any practice that helped move ethical monotheism forward was a relevant practice. And any practice that didn't, wasn't.

Which, in the end, would make him a practitioner of philosophy of the Jewish variety.

Study well!