Tzimtzum as the Ground for Fichte's Account of Justice: Reciprocity and Normative Empowerment: Kabbalistic and Philosophical Sources
How can kabbalistic and hasidic concepts be adapted into wider culture, including the realms of philosophy and policymaking? One example pointed to by Wexler, and before him Jürgen Habermas and Franz Rosensweig, is the influence of kabbalah on German Idealism, which is currently undergoing a revival. Via the 1677-84 publication of Kabbalah Denudata, the concept of Tzimtzum, whose purpose is recognitive reciprocity, was adapted by Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762–1814) to provide a grounds for natural right, i.e. fundamental principles of justice.
| Topics: | Tzimtzum |
Paul Franks is Professor of Philosophy and Judaic Studies at Yale University. He is the co-translator of Franz Rosenzweig: Philosophical and Theological Writings (Hackett, 2000), and the author of All or Nothing: Systematicity, Transcendental Arguments, and Skepticism (Harvard, 2005) as well as many articles on post-Kantian philosophy and Jewish philosophy. He is currently writing a book on the contribution of Jewish philosophy and kabbalah to modern European philosophy.
© Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad.org's copyright policy.
Start a Discussion