Law, Ethics, and the Needs of History
Mendelssohn, Krochmal, and Moral Philosophy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14760685 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Elias Sacks (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 352-377 |
| Publication date | 2016-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Religious Ethics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0384-9694 • E-ISSN: 1467-9795 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/jore.12145 |
| OpenAlex | W2396364463 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 15 |
Although the role of ethics in modern Jewish thought has been widely explored, major works by foundational philosophers remain largely absent from such discussions. This essay contributes to the recovery of these voices, focusing on the Hebrew writings of Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786) and Nachman Krochmal (1785–1840). I argue that these texts reveal the existence of a shared ethical project animating these founding philosophical voices of Jewish modernity, and that reconstructing their claims contributes to broader conversations about the relationship between ethics and law. Mendelssohn and Krochmal present Jewish law as addressing needs emerging from the history of moral philosophy—from the modern histories of Platonic and Aristotelian ethics. Moreover, my reading highlights these thinkers’ ongoing relevance, suggesting that their work illuminates the role of law in ethical cultivation
Biblical studies · Epistemology · Hebrew · Hebrew Bible · Judaism · Modernity · Political science · Reading (process · Relevance (law · Sociology · Theology · Law · Law in Society and Culture · Philosophy
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,2 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2021 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |