E-Book Overview
Jewish Faith and Modern Science address fundamental questions facing many contemporary Jews, including the relevance of traditional beliefs for Jews who are increasingly secular and liberal, and how recent advances in science affect conventional Jewish philosophy. Samuelson assesses the current state of Jewish thought and suggests how it should change to remain relevant in the future.
E-Book Content
Jewish Faith and Modern Science Jewish Faith and Modern Science On the Death and Rebirth of Jewish Philosophy Norbert M. Samuelson ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC. Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC. Published in the United States of America by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.rowmanlittlefield.com Estover Road Plymouth PL6 7PY United Kingdom Copyright © 2009 by Norbert M. Samuelson All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Samuelson, Norbert Max, 1936– Jewish faith and modern science : on the death and rebirth of Jewish philosophy / Norbert M. Samuelson. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN-13: 978-0-7425-5892-2 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-7425-5892-4 (cloth : alk. paper) eISBN-13: 978-0-7425-6555-5 eISBN-10: 0-7425-6555-6 1. Philosophy, Jewish. 2. Judaism and philosophy. 3. Judaism and science. I. Title. B5800.S26 2009 296.3'75—dc22 2008021736 Printed in the United States of America ⬁™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Contents Preface PART I vii THE DEATH OF JEWISH PHILOSOPHY Introduction I 3 Chapter 1 Misunderstanding Physics and Astronomy 15 Chapter 2 Misunderstanding Linguistics and Epistemology 29 Chapter 3 Misunderstanding Psychology 45 Chapter 4 Misunderstanding Medicine 71 Chapter 5 Misunderstanding History 85 PART II THE REBIRTH OF JEWISH PHILOSOPHY Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Introduction II 107 Interpreting Creation: God, the World, and the Physical Sciences 113 Interpreting Redemption: The World, Humanity, and the Human Sciences 159 Interpreting Revelation: Humanity, God, and Jewish History 211 v vi Contents Conclusion 231 Bibliography 239 Index 277 About the Author 291 Preface In the fall of 2004, Hava Tirosh-Samuelson (history) organized an interdepartmental, intercollegiate, interschool faculty study seminar at Arizona State University (ASU) on shared issues over the interrelationship between religions and sciences. The seminar was sponsored and hosted by the Center for the Study of Conflict in Religion at ASU under the generous leadership of Linell Cady (religious studies) and the impressive administrative competence of her associate, Carolyn Forbes. The seminar meets monthly through the academic year with a focus at each session on a specific scholarly book or books or essays relevant to our joint study. A grant from the Metanexus Institute pays for books a