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Article
Hermann Cohen, Maimonides, and the Jewish Virtue of Humility
Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy (2010)
  • Robert Erlewine, Illinois Wesleyan University
Abstract
This paper explores Hermann Cohen’s engagement with, and appropriation of, Maimonides to refute the common assumption that Cohen’s endeavor was to harmonize Judaism with Western culture. Exploring the changes of Cohen’s conception of humility from Ethik des reinen Willens to the Ethics of Maimonides and Religion of Reason out of the Sources of Judaism, this paper highlights the centrality of the collective Jewish mission to bear witness against the dominant order of Western civilization and philosophy in Cohen’s Jewish thought. This article was published as part of a special issue of the Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy, "Ancients and Moderns in Jewish Philosophy: The Case of Hermann Cohen," edited by Aaron Hughes.
Keywords
  • Hermann Cohen,
  • Maimonides,
  • humility
Disciplines
Publication Date
Winter January, 2010
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1163/147728510X497474
Publisher Statement
The Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy by is published by Brill. For more information please visit the Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy online.
Citation Information
Robert Erlewine. "Hermann Cohen, Maimonides, and the Jewish Virtue of Humility" Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy Vol. 18 Iss. 1 (2010) p. 27 - 47 ISSN: 1053-699X
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/robert_erlewine/4/