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Reason and Hope: Selections from the Jewish Writings of Hermann Cohen
Reason and Hope Selections from the Jewish Writings of Hermann Cohen Author:Hermann Cohen, Eva Jospe (Translator) The contents of this book, translated into English for the first time, come from Hermann Cohen's Jewish Writings, a three-volume collection of essays and addresses published posthumously in 1924 in Berlin. The subjects range from discussions of fundamental questions concerning the philosophy and ethics of Judaism to the significance of ... more »Jewish holy days: from the problems of Jewish education to issues of topical interest.
Cohen, who taught at Marburg University from 1876 to 1912, was renowned originally as the founder and most prominent representative of the so-called neo-Kantian school of philosophy, or, as he called it, "critical idealism." Gradually he came to see a close affinity between the ideas and ideals of the Jewish prophets and of classical Greek and German idealism, a spiritual kinship throughout his later years. Although he was not conventionally religious, Cohen reiterated again and again his belief in Judaism's "absolute" monotheism, a religion based equally on faith and reason and grounded in the concept of One God.
Cohen attempted to rationalize religion and spiritualize philosophy by disclosing their common ground. His writings on Judaism constitute a landmark in the history of modern religious thought.« less