The Function of the Idea of Messianic Mankind in Hermann Cohen's Later Thought

The thought of Hermann Cohen represents one of the most important German Jewish interpretations of Judaism in the modern period. This article explores Cohen's idea of a universal messianic humanity, which the author considers to be central to Cohen's later religious thought. It is clear, especially in the Ethik des reinen Willens, that Cohen puts forth the idea of a universal humanity as a postulate of the moral reason in the Kantian sense. He rejects Kant's own postulate of personal immortality along with the concomitant notion of the final conjunction of virtue and happiness and argues that the idea of universal humanity opens up a this-worldly future and thereby properly specifies the infinity of the moral task. In an attempt to work out the implications of this ideal, Cohen projects it into the juridical-political sphere. The second major section of the article seeks to demonstrate that there is a systematic link in Cohen's philosophy between the unity of mankind and the unity of God. The author explains that, for Cohen, the idea of the unity of the one supersensible God opens up the future to the reality of one universal humanity. Attention is given to the mode of ideality which characterizes both God and universal humanity in Cohen's thought. Finally, the article turns to a discussion of how Cohen has derived the idea of universal messianic mankind from the sources of Judaism through a process of “idealization. ”This discussion includes a consideration of Cohen's views on the particular status of the Jewish people and of the degree to which his idea of messianic mankind is in harmony with the messianic idea current in Judaism from the second to the nineteenth century.

Epistemology · German · Humanity · Ideal (ethics) · Idealization · Immortality · Judaism · Theology · Virtue · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Philosophy · Philosophy, Ethics, and Existentialism · Walter Benjamin Studies Compilation

• The Cambridge History of Jewish Philosophy

  Willi Goetschel, Samuel Moyn et al.•The Cambridge History of Jewish…•2012

  Add to list

• Reflections on the Challenges Confronting the Philosophy of Halakhah

  Open Access•Avi Sagi•The Cambridge History of Jewish…•2012

  Add to list