"Religion", the "Political" and "Judaism" in Classical German Philosophy.

• Applicant: Dr. Amit Kravitz
• Subject Area: History of Philosophy
• Term: from 2017 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 389350747

My research will focus on the concepts of religion, politics, and Judaism in the philosophy of Kant and German idealism. As I argue, the concept of Judaism in the work of these philosophers cannot be seen as having been wholly determined by their acquaintance with actual Jews or with Jewish theology (their knowledge of which was very limited); nor can it be reduced to classical Christian positions towards Judaism (such as that of Marcion, Augustine or Luther, positions that are rooted, to some extent, in the writings of Paul). I do not claim that such factors did not play any role whatsoever in this regard (nor do I argue that the role they played was minor or unimportant). Rather, I suggest that their analysis of the concept of Judaism was also influenced by other irreducible, inner systematic considerations as well, related to the unique way they understood religion, and politics in general, and that these considerations require specific attention in order to more fully understand the way that Judaism is conceptualized in the work of these philosophers. I argue further that despite the differences in their work, these philosophers share significant common ground, rooted in the unique challenge arising from Kantian philosophy: The attempt to bridge the gap between reason and its realization in history. Reason cannot, due to inherent metaphysical constraints, be realized in history immediately, and its implementation necessitates an absolute negation of that which precedes it. Kant identifies the object of this negation, which ought to lead to Vernunftreligion as mediating between reason and history, with the negation of the political as such, which he identifies in this context with Judaism. Fichte, Schelling and Hegel drew on different aspects of this unique Kantian tension, suggesting different ways to bridge the abovementioned gap between reason and history. Their conception of Judaism cannot be understood without the context of the Kantian framework, which they try to overcome. Finally, I plan to address the possible relationships between such conceptions of Judaism, rooted in the understanding of religion and politics in general, and later, anti-Semitic developments. This discussion will be carried out without identifying the philosophical context of Kant and German idealism with later developments on the one hand, since assuming a clear-cut causal relation in the realm of Geist is fundamentally misleading. On the other hand, later developments must be located in relation to historical antecedents; otherwise they will be viewed as aberrations or madness, a break in history itself. The best way to explore this relationship, therefore, is to ask what in these philosophical approaches would enable them or make them prone to later be applied, twisted, and adapted to Nazi ideology.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants