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Philipp von Wussow

Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Fachbereich Evangelische Theologie, Department Member

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Ph.D., Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 2006
Simon Dubnow Institute, Leipzig, 2007-2013
Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, 2014-
2016/17: Katz Center, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Habilitation, Goethe University, 2017
2018-20: IThF, Hamburg
Address: Frankfurt am Main, Germany

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Pablo Ríos Flores

Universidad de Buenos Aires

Universidad de Buenos Aires

Iupa

Santos Diamantino

Diego Vega Castro

Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP)

Roberto R. Aramayo

CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Spanish National Research Council)

Roberto R. Aramayo

UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICO GRANCOLOMBIANO

Universidad de Buenos Aires

Garikoitz Gamarra

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Papers by Philipp von Wussow

“Jewish Philosophy” and the Politics of German-Jewish Thought Between the World Wars

University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc. eBooks, Jun 6, 2023

Cyber Ethics: On the Use of Ethical Considerations in Hybrid Warfare

The Defence Horizon Journal, 2022

This paper addresses the role of ethical considerations in hybrid warfare. In particular, it seek... more This paper addresses the role of ethical considerations in hybrid warfare. In particular, it seeks to outline how cyber operations in the context of hybrid warfare can meet the demands of justice. The paper will start with a brief outline of the problem of cyber ethics and situate “cyber” within the concept of hybrid threats. It examines the purposes of ethical considerations in cyber warfare, especially concerning the tension and possible convergence of ethics and strategy. Exploring the notion of justice as understood by ethics and international law, it finally discusses the uses of just war theory in cyber warfare.

The Political Ideas of Otto Neurath: Science, Judaism, and the Rise of Expertocracy

Azimuth IX (2021) 18: Mother-tongue and Father-land: Jewish Perspectives on Language and Identity, 2021

This article examines the political ideas of Otto Neurath (1882−1945), a major figure of the Vien... more This article examines the political ideas of Otto Neurath (1882−1945), a major figure of the Vienna Circle. As it seeks to demonstrate, even the most technical aspects of Neurath's philosophical work-the philosophy of language, the argument in favor of visual language, and the theory of protocol statements-must be read as parts of a new political religion. The political religion of the Vienna Circle was meant to erase all traces of religion and tradition. In particular, it was devised to replace Judaism, which most members stemmed from: It induced the Jews to give up their traditions and habits and become members of a rational world society led by technological planning experts. The following analyses trace Neurath's political ideas from a remote expert opinion on the Jewish colonization of Palestine to his late political treatise on expertocracy and democracy, and proceed to some of the expert writings on science, philosophy, and language from there. Neurath spoke the language of democratization, but his own authoritarian inclinations came shining through. Ultimately, he advocated for expertocratic rule in the language of democratic empowerment.

Expertokratie/Epistokratie

Macht und Herrschaft. Zur Revision zweier soziologischer Grundbegriffe, 2021

Das Problem der Expertokratie (Herrschaft der Experten) wirkt zunächst unscheinbar gegenüber dem ... more Das Problem der Expertokratie (Herrschaft der Experten) wirkt zunächst unscheinbar gegenüber dem öffentlichkeitswirksameren Diskurs über ‚Populismus'. Bei näherem Hinsehen zeigt sich jedoch ein enger Zusammenhang, wenn es sich nicht gar um zwei komplementäre Phänomene handelt: Der Aufstieg des Populismus kann auch als Antwort auf die ungebremste Macht von Experten verstanden werden. Als politisches Problem hat Expertokratie eine lange Geschichte, die auf die Anfänge der griechischen politischen Philosophie zurückgeht. Das Thema der Macht von Experten ruft die grundsätzliche Frage nach dem Wissen von politischen Dingen auf und verweist auf die Krise des politischen Wissens. Auf diese Weise konfrontiert es uns mit tiefgreifenden Herausforderungen für die Demokratie im 21. Jahrhundert.

Leo Strauss and Walter Benjamin: Thinking "in a Moment of Danger"

Leo Strauss in Contemporary Thought: Reading Strauss Outside the Lines, 2021

It may seem odd that the relationship between Leo Strauss and Walter Benjamin has been almost ent... more It may seem odd that the relationship between Leo Strauss and Walter Benjamin has been almost entirely disregarded. Upon a closer look, however, this is little surprising, for the two figures do not even have a common readership. Benjamin, the icon of critical theory and proponent of a playful political radicalism, and Strauss, the vanguard of an untimely return to the classics of political philosophy, appeal to largely different segments of academic readers. The shared intellectual provenience from the German-Jewish world of the interwar period seems to create as little connection as the common fate of expulsion and exile. This article explores the non-dialogue between Strauss and Benjamin from their writings and corrspondences. It shows that Strauss and Benjamin had a fascination for each another from afar, but the philosophical templates of their thought were too different to allow for any significant point of convergence of their respective projects. The two figures of interwar German-Jewish thought represent two different ways of conceptualizing the dialectics of modernity and premodernity, two models of viewing society and culture from outside, and two different foundations for the understanding of the political in its relation to culture.

Die EU und ihre Technologieverantwortung: Cybersicherheit

DIE EUROPÄISCHE UNION ALS VERANTWORTUNGSGEMEINSCHAFT, 2020

Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek: Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek ver... more

Ernst Cassirer y los orígenes intelectuales del nacionalsocialismo sobre la compleja relación entre filosofía y política

RAGIF EDICIONES FILOSOFÍA, MITO Y FASCISMO Releyendo El mito del Estado de Ernst Cassirer, 2020

The Myth of the State marks Cassirer’s late turn to the crisis of political and social life that ... more The Myth of the State marks Cassirer’s late turn to the crisis of political and social life that was marked by the rise of National Socialism. True to his notion that a sufficient explanation of the phenomenon must start “at the first beginning,” Cassirer responded to the situation with a long historical narrative that started with the Presocratics and ended with the political myths of the 20th century. At first sight, then, The Myth of the State appears to stand in close proximity to the philosophical genealogies of National Socialism. Genealogies of National Socialism constitute a forgotten genre on the border of philosophy and politics that sought to trace the roots of National Socialism in German philosophy – predominantly in German Idealism, the Romantics, and Nietzsche. These genealogies pertain to a short moment in the 1940s, when a generation of mostly German-Jewish scholars sought to reconcile their education in German philosophy and culture with the new political realities. The methodological reflections and rhetorical strategies in Cassirer’s book provides that he occupied a middle position regarding the relationship between philosophy and politics.

Is a Cyber Blitzkrieg Possible? Reassessing Cyber Warfare Scenarios

Hybrid CoE Cyber power in hybrid crisis and warfare symposium proceedings COI STRATEGY & DEFENCE Hybrid CoE Record 21, 2020

Thesen zur Cyberethik

Ethische Herausforderungen digitalen Wandels in bewaffneten Konflikten, 2020

"Cyberwar": Past and Present of a Contested Term

Conflict Zone Cyberspace: Prospects for Security and Peace Cyberspace as a Domain of Military Action 2 ETHICS AND ARMED FORCES 01/19, 2019

"Cyberkrieg": Geschichte und Gegenwart eines umkämpften Begriffs

Konfliktzone Cyberspace: Perspektiven für Sicherheit und Frieden. Der Cyberraum als Domäne militärischen Handelns, 2019

Begriff des "Cyberkriegs" auf den Grund. Er identifiziert zwei Extrempositionen in der aktuellen ... more Begriff des "Cyberkriegs" auf den Grund. Er identifiziert zwei Extrempositionen in der aktuellen Debatte -beide mit wenig Bezug zum tatsächlichen technischen Potenzial von Cyberangriffen, dagegen umso mehr zu Ängsten aus Zeiten des Kalten Kriegs. Laut der einen Seite drohen der Menschheit katastrophale Cyberkriegsszenarien bis hin zur Totalvernichtung ("Cybergeddon"). Für die Vertreter der Gegenseite verbietet sich die Rede vom "Cyberkrieg", weil dies vor allem einer militärisch-geheimdienstlichen Kontrolle des Internets Vorschub leiste und die Eskalationsgefahr erhöhe. Der eigentliche Kern des Problems besteht dem Autor zufolge darin, dass die omnipräsente Cyberkriminalität und Cyberspionage "den permanenten Ausnahmezustand zum Normalzustand" mache und mit der herkömmlichen Dichotomie von Krieg und Frieden nicht adäquat zu fassen sei. Dieser durch Hegemoniekämpfe und latente Bedrohung gekennzeichnete "Schwebezustand" könne am besten mit dem Hobbes'schen Naturzustand -dem Kampf aller gegen alle -verglichen werden. Zugleich lasse sich aber absehen, so von Wussow weiter, dass jener anarchische Status quo (dem Hobbes'schen Modell entsprechend) durch verschiedene Prozesse eingehegt werde, weil dies langfristig im Interesse der großen Akteure sei.

Von Weimar nach Amerika? Die politische Philosophie von Leo Strauss im Exil (2018)

Der politische Philosoph Leo Strauss (1899–1973) ist für die Forschung zum Zusammenhang von Biogr... more Der politische Philosoph Leo Strauss (1899–1973) ist für die Forschung zum Zusammenhang von Biographie, amerikanischer Erfahrung und Theoriebildung seit einiger Zeit von großem Interesse. Denn auf den ersten Blick erscheint Strauss als ein Paradebeispiel für die Übertragung von politischen Erfahrungen der Weimarer Republik auf die gänzlich verschiedene politische Situation in Amerika. Doch ist die politische Philosophie von Leo Strauss tatsächlich „im Bannkreis des theologisch-politischen Dilemmas“ verblieben, um seine eigene, viel zitierte spätere Formulierung aufzugreifen?
Der folgende Beitrag wird diese These zu entkräften suchen und anhand einiger Schlüsseltexte eine Neufassung des Themas vorschlagen. Er beleuchtet zunächst die Entwicklung von Leo Strauss vor dem Exil und untersucht insbesondere die im britischen Exil fertig gestellte, aber weitgehend noch in Deutschland abgefasste Studie Philosophie und Gesetz (1935). Hier befindet sich die Philosophie gleichsam noch in einem politischen und gesellschaftlichen Vakuum. Dies ändert sich mit der Wiederentdeckung des esoterischen Schreibens, die zeitlich mit der Übersiedlung nach Amerika zusammenfällt, und vollends in Natural Right and History (1953, dt. 1956), dem Buch, das Strauss als einen „amerikanischen“ Denker präsentierte. Folgt man den Spuren innerhalb dieser Werke, so zeigt sich, dass der Zusammenhang von Biographie, amerikanischer Erfahrung und Theoriebildung in einem veränderten Stellenwert von Philosophie in der Gesellschaft zu finden ist.

The Place of Religion in the System of Philosophy: Rosenzweig's "Einleitung" to Cohen Revisited

Rosenzweig Yearbook 11, 2018

This paper follows up on the discussions in Jewish thought of the 1920s on the place of religion ... more This paper follows up on the discussions in Jewish thought of the 1920s on the place of religion in the system of philosophy. Hermann Cohen had addressed the question in his 1915 book "Der Begriff der Philosophie im System der Philosophie" and the posthumous "Religion der Vernunft". Following Rosenzweig’s interpretation in his introduction to Cohen’s "Jüdische Schriften," the problem became a major bone of contention in the post-Cohenian debates on philosophy and Judaism. It was the template for renegotiating the relation between system and experience as well as between idealism and the reality of God. The paper examines Rosenzweig’s interpretation of the problem while situating it in the larger quarrels on the Cohenian heritage.

Martin Buber and Leo Strauss: Notes on a Strained Relationship

Leo Strauss on Returning: Some Methodological Aspects

Leo Strauss (1899-1973) was but one out of a number of German-Jewish thinkers emerging around 193... more Leo Strauss (1899-1973) was but one out of a number of German-Jewish thinkers emerging around 1930 who sought to return to the ancients, but no one expressed this idea more radically and with greater vigor. This paper examines Strauss's project of returning as it was formed around 1930 and subsequently clarified and expanded. The focus on " methodological " aspects indicates that the concern is not only with the question of why such a return seemed necessary for Strauss, but also how he sought to do it. After providing an outline of his principal considerations and their respective theoretical contexts , then, the article also seeks to examine the philosophical thinking and writing in action. The body of writings to be examined include two lecture manuscripts of 1930 and 1931, with a brief view towards Strauss's early master work Philosophy and Law (1935) and his lecture " Jerusalem and Athens " (1967).

Marx, Nietzsche, Freud: Toward a History of "Theory" in Modern Jewish Thought

"In die Worte bricht Geschichte ein". Theorie und Sprachreflexion bei Löwenthal, Benjamin und Adorno

Leo Strauss and Julius Guttmann: Some Remarks on the Understanding of "Philosophy and Law"

Leo Strauss's early book Philosophy and Law has remained a stumbling block in current Strauss sch... more Leo Strauss's early book Philosophy and Law has remained a stumbling block in current Strauss scholarship. This article seeks to explore the text by way of the ensuing debate between Strauss and Julius Guttmann concerning the historical and systematic presuppositions of Jewish philosophy. In decisive respects Guttmann was unable to follow Strauss's argument, particularly because he could not solve the riddle whether Philosophy and Law was a precursor of the "exoteric" Strauss or not. Furthermore, he miscast the perspective of political philosophy as an all-out politicization of philosophy. Examining these fallacies of interpretation, the article argues for a better understanding of the philosophical and rhetorical strategies employed in Strauss's Philosophy and Law.

Der "letzte Mensch". Glanz und Elend einer kulturkritischen Deutungsfigur

Horkheimer und Adorno über "jüdische Psychologie". Ein vergessenes Theorieprogramm der 1940er Jahre

This article explores a forgotten theoretical program developed, and eventually dropped, by Max H... more This article explores a forgotten theoretical program developed, and eventually dropped, by Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno in the 1940s. In letters, drafts and memorandums, but also in the chapter "Elements of Anti-Semitism" in the Dialectic of Enlightenment, Horkheimer and Adorno sought to clarify whether anti-Semitic stereotypes corresponded in some way with certain "Jewish" behavioral patterns and character traits. But their socio-psychological mapping of contemporary Jewry revealed, first of all, the authors' own stereotypes and biases toward the Jews. Upon their return to Germany, Horkheimer and Adorno abandoned this program, but many of the research methods that were employed to operationalize these biases survived in their sociological and pedagogical projects of the 1950s and 1960s.

“Jewish Philosophy” and the Politics of German-Jewish Thought Between the World Wars

University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc. eBooks, Jun 6, 2023

Cyber Ethics: On the Use of Ethical Considerations in Hybrid Warfare

The Defence Horizon Journal, 2022

This paper addresses the role of ethical considerations in hybrid warfare. In particular, it seek... more This paper addresses the role of ethical considerations in hybrid warfare. In particular, it seeks to outline how cyber operations in the context of hybrid warfare can meet the demands of justice. The paper will start with a brief outline of the problem of cyber ethics and situate “cyber” within the concept of hybrid threats. It examines the purposes of ethical considerations in cyber warfare, especially concerning the tension and possible convergence of ethics and strategy. Exploring the notion of justice as understood by ethics and international law, it finally discusses the uses of just war theory in cyber warfare.

The Political Ideas of Otto Neurath: Science, Judaism, and the Rise of Expertocracy

Azimuth IX (2021) 18: Mother-tongue and Father-land: Jewish Perspectives on Language and Identity, 2021

This article examines the political ideas of Otto Neurath (1882−1945), a major figure of the Vien... more This article examines the political ideas of Otto Neurath (1882−1945), a major figure of the Vienna Circle. As it seeks to demonstrate, even the most technical aspects of Neurath's philosophical work-the philosophy of language, the argument in favor of visual language, and the theory of protocol statements-must be read as parts of a new political religion. The political religion of the Vienna Circle was meant to erase all traces of religion and tradition. In particular, it was devised to replace Judaism, which most members stemmed from: It induced the Jews to give up their traditions and habits and become members of a rational world society led by technological planning experts. The following analyses trace Neurath's political ideas from a remote expert opinion on the Jewish colonization of Palestine to his late political treatise on expertocracy and democracy, and proceed to some of the expert writings on science, philosophy, and language from there. Neurath spoke the language of democratization, but his own authoritarian inclinations came shining through. Ultimately, he advocated for expertocratic rule in the language of democratic empowerment.

Expertokratie/Epistokratie

Macht und Herrschaft. Zur Revision zweier soziologischer Grundbegriffe, 2021

Das Problem der Expertokratie (Herrschaft der Experten) wirkt zunächst unscheinbar gegenüber dem ... more Das Problem der Expertokratie (Herrschaft der Experten) wirkt zunächst unscheinbar gegenüber dem öffentlichkeitswirksameren Diskurs über ‚Populismus'. Bei näherem Hinsehen zeigt sich jedoch ein enger Zusammenhang, wenn es sich nicht gar um zwei komplementäre Phänomene handelt: Der Aufstieg des Populismus kann auch als Antwort auf die ungebremste Macht von Experten verstanden werden. Als politisches Problem hat Expertokratie eine lange Geschichte, die auf die Anfänge der griechischen politischen Philosophie zurückgeht. Das Thema der Macht von Experten ruft die grundsätzliche Frage nach dem Wissen von politischen Dingen auf und verweist auf die Krise des politischen Wissens. Auf diese Weise konfrontiert es uns mit tiefgreifenden Herausforderungen für die Demokratie im 21. Jahrhundert.

Leo Strauss and Walter Benjamin: Thinking "in a Moment of Danger"

Leo Strauss in Contemporary Thought: Reading Strauss Outside the Lines, 2021

It may seem odd that the relationship between Leo Strauss and Walter Benjamin has been almost ent... more It may seem odd that the relationship between Leo Strauss and Walter Benjamin has been almost entirely disregarded. Upon a closer look, however, this is little surprising, for the two figures do not even have a common readership. Benjamin, the icon of critical theory and proponent of a playful political radicalism, and Strauss, the vanguard of an untimely return to the classics of political philosophy, appeal to largely different segments of academic readers. The shared intellectual provenience from the German-Jewish world of the interwar period seems to create as little connection as the common fate of expulsion and exile. This article explores the non-dialogue between Strauss and Benjamin from their writings and corrspondences. It shows that Strauss and Benjamin had a fascination for each another from afar, but the philosophical templates of their thought were too different to allow for any significant point of convergence of their respective projects. The two figures of interwar German-Jewish thought represent two different ways of conceptualizing the dialectics of modernity and premodernity, two models of viewing society and culture from outside, and two different foundations for the understanding of the political in its relation to culture.

Die EU und ihre Technologieverantwortung: Cybersicherheit

DIE EUROPÄISCHE UNION ALS VERANTWORTUNGSGEMEINSCHAFT, 2020

Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek: Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek ver... more

Ernst Cassirer y los orígenes intelectuales del nacionalsocialismo sobre la compleja relación entre filosofía y política

RAGIF EDICIONES FILOSOFÍA, MITO Y FASCISMO Releyendo El mito del Estado de Ernst Cassirer, 2020

The Myth of the State marks Cassirer’s late turn to the crisis of political and social life that ... more The Myth of the State marks Cassirer’s late turn to the crisis of political and social life that was marked by the rise of National Socialism. True to his notion that a sufficient explanation of the phenomenon must start “at the first beginning,” Cassirer responded to the situation with a long historical narrative that started with the Presocratics and ended with the political myths of the 20th century. At first sight, then, The Myth of the State appears to stand in close proximity to the philosophical genealogies of National Socialism. Genealogies of National Socialism constitute a forgotten genre on the border of philosophy and politics that sought to trace the roots of National Socialism in German philosophy – predominantly in German Idealism, the Romantics, and Nietzsche. These genealogies pertain to a short moment in the 1940s, when a generation of mostly German-Jewish scholars sought to reconcile their education in German philosophy and culture with the new political realities. The methodological reflections and rhetorical strategies in Cassirer’s book provides that he occupied a middle position regarding the relationship between philosophy and politics.

Is a Cyber Blitzkrieg Possible? Reassessing Cyber Warfare Scenarios

Hybrid CoE Cyber power in hybrid crisis and warfare symposium proceedings COI STRATEGY & DEFENCE Hybrid CoE Record 21, 2020

Thesen zur Cyberethik

Ethische Herausforderungen digitalen Wandels in bewaffneten Konflikten, 2020

"Cyberwar": Past and Present of a Contested Term

Conflict Zone Cyberspace: Prospects for Security and Peace Cyberspace as a Domain of Military Action 2 ETHICS AND ARMED FORCES 01/19, 2019

"Cyberkrieg": Geschichte und Gegenwart eines umkämpften Begriffs

Konfliktzone Cyberspace: Perspektiven für Sicherheit und Frieden. Der Cyberraum als Domäne militärischen Handelns, 2019

Begriff des "Cyberkriegs" auf den Grund. Er identifiziert zwei Extrempositionen in der aktuellen ... more Begriff des "Cyberkriegs" auf den Grund. Er identifiziert zwei Extrempositionen in der aktuellen Debatte -beide mit wenig Bezug zum tatsächlichen technischen Potenzial von Cyberangriffen, dagegen umso mehr zu Ängsten aus Zeiten des Kalten Kriegs. Laut der einen Seite drohen der Menschheit katastrophale Cyberkriegsszenarien bis hin zur Totalvernichtung ("Cybergeddon"). Für die Vertreter der Gegenseite verbietet sich die Rede vom "Cyberkrieg", weil dies vor allem einer militärisch-geheimdienstlichen Kontrolle des Internets Vorschub leiste und die Eskalationsgefahr erhöhe. Der eigentliche Kern des Problems besteht dem Autor zufolge darin, dass die omnipräsente Cyberkriminalität und Cyberspionage "den permanenten Ausnahmezustand zum Normalzustand" mache und mit der herkömmlichen Dichotomie von Krieg und Frieden nicht adäquat zu fassen sei. Dieser durch Hegemoniekämpfe und latente Bedrohung gekennzeichnete "Schwebezustand" könne am besten mit dem Hobbes'schen Naturzustand -dem Kampf aller gegen alle -verglichen werden. Zugleich lasse sich aber absehen, so von Wussow weiter, dass jener anarchische Status quo (dem Hobbes'schen Modell entsprechend) durch verschiedene Prozesse eingehegt werde, weil dies langfristig im Interesse der großen Akteure sei.

Von Weimar nach Amerika? Die politische Philosophie von Leo Strauss im Exil (2018)

Der politische Philosoph Leo Strauss (1899–1973) ist für die Forschung zum Zusammenhang von Biogr... more Der politische Philosoph Leo Strauss (1899–1973) ist für die Forschung zum Zusammenhang von Biographie, amerikanischer Erfahrung und Theoriebildung seit einiger Zeit von großem Interesse. Denn auf den ersten Blick erscheint Strauss als ein Paradebeispiel für die Übertragung von politischen Erfahrungen der Weimarer Republik auf die gänzlich verschiedene politische Situation in Amerika. Doch ist die politische Philosophie von Leo Strauss tatsächlich „im Bannkreis des theologisch-politischen Dilemmas“ verblieben, um seine eigene, viel zitierte spätere Formulierung aufzugreifen?
Der folgende Beitrag wird diese These zu entkräften suchen und anhand einiger Schlüsseltexte eine Neufassung des Themas vorschlagen. Er beleuchtet zunächst die Entwicklung von Leo Strauss vor dem Exil und untersucht insbesondere die im britischen Exil fertig gestellte, aber weitgehend noch in Deutschland abgefasste Studie Philosophie und Gesetz (1935). Hier befindet sich die Philosophie gleichsam noch in einem politischen und gesellschaftlichen Vakuum. Dies ändert sich mit der Wiederentdeckung des esoterischen Schreibens, die zeitlich mit der Übersiedlung nach Amerika zusammenfällt, und vollends in Natural Right and History (1953, dt. 1956), dem Buch, das Strauss als einen „amerikanischen“ Denker präsentierte. Folgt man den Spuren innerhalb dieser Werke, so zeigt sich, dass der Zusammenhang von Biographie, amerikanischer Erfahrung und Theoriebildung in einem veränderten Stellenwert von Philosophie in der Gesellschaft zu finden ist.

The Place of Religion in the System of Philosophy: Rosenzweig's "Einleitung" to Cohen Revisited

Rosenzweig Yearbook 11, 2018

This paper follows up on the discussions in Jewish thought of the 1920s on the place of religion ... more This paper follows up on the discussions in Jewish thought of the 1920s on the place of religion in the system of philosophy. Hermann Cohen had addressed the question in his 1915 book "Der Begriff der Philosophie im System der Philosophie" and the posthumous "Religion der Vernunft". Following Rosenzweig’s interpretation in his introduction to Cohen’s "Jüdische Schriften," the problem became a major bone of contention in the post-Cohenian debates on philosophy and Judaism. It was the template for renegotiating the relation between system and experience as well as between idealism and the reality of God. The paper examines Rosenzweig’s interpretation of the problem while situating it in the larger quarrels on the Cohenian heritage.

Martin Buber and Leo Strauss: Notes on a Strained Relationship

Leo Strauss on Returning: Some Methodological Aspects

Leo Strauss (1899-1973) was but one out of a number of German-Jewish thinkers emerging around 193... more Leo Strauss (1899-1973) was but one out of a number of German-Jewish thinkers emerging around 1930 who sought to return to the ancients, but no one expressed this idea more radically and with greater vigor. This paper examines Strauss's project of returning as it was formed around 1930 and subsequently clarified and expanded. The focus on " methodological " aspects indicates that the concern is not only with the question of why such a return seemed necessary for Strauss, but also how he sought to do it. After providing an outline of his principal considerations and their respective theoretical contexts , then, the article also seeks to examine the philosophical thinking and writing in action. The body of writings to be examined include two lecture manuscripts of 1930 and 1931, with a brief view towards Strauss's early master work Philosophy and Law (1935) and his lecture " Jerusalem and Athens " (1967).

Marx, Nietzsche, Freud: Toward a History of "Theory" in Modern Jewish Thought

"In die Worte bricht Geschichte ein". Theorie und Sprachreflexion bei Löwenthal, Benjamin und Adorno

Leo Strauss and Julius Guttmann: Some Remarks on the Understanding of "Philosophy and Law"

Leo Strauss's early book Philosophy and Law has remained a stumbling block in current Strauss sch... more Leo Strauss's early book Philosophy and Law has remained a stumbling block in current Strauss scholarship. This article seeks to explore the text by way of the ensuing debate between Strauss and Julius Guttmann concerning the historical and systematic presuppositions of Jewish philosophy. In decisive respects Guttmann was unable to follow Strauss's argument, particularly because he could not solve the riddle whether Philosophy and Law was a precursor of the "exoteric" Strauss or not. Furthermore, he miscast the perspective of political philosophy as an all-out politicization of philosophy. Examining these fallacies of interpretation, the article argues for a better understanding of the philosophical and rhetorical strategies employed in Strauss's Philosophy and Law.

Der "letzte Mensch". Glanz und Elend einer kulturkritischen Deutungsfigur

Horkheimer und Adorno über "jüdische Psychologie". Ein vergessenes Theorieprogramm der 1940er Jahre

This article explores a forgotten theoretical program developed, and eventually dropped, by Max H... more This article explores a forgotten theoretical program developed, and eventually dropped, by Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno in the 1940s. In letters, drafts and memorandums, but also in the chapter "Elements of Anti-Semitism" in the Dialectic of Enlightenment, Horkheimer and Adorno sought to clarify whether anti-Semitic stereotypes corresponded in some way with certain "Jewish" behavioral patterns and character traits. But their socio-psychological mapping of contemporary Jewry revealed, first of all, the authors' own stereotypes and biases toward the Jews. Upon their return to Germany, Horkheimer and Adorno abandoned this program, but many of the research methods that were employed to operationalize these biases survived in their sociological and pedagogical projects of the 1950s and 1960s.

Filosofía, mito y fascismo : releyendo El Mito del Estado de Ernst Cassirer

by Pablo Dreizik, Pablo Ríos Flores, and Philipp von Wussow

Dentro del horizonte de recepción de la obra de Cassirer, cobra especial relieve la noción de “m... more Dentro del horizonte de recepción de la obra de Cassirer, cobra especial relieve la noción de “mito político moderno” –una noción que en este caso ha de ser cuidadosamente distinguida del mito en un sentido general. Así, mientras que Cassirer parece no haber abandonado nunca su valoración positiva general del mito clásico comprendiéndolo como un primer resultado de la actividad espontánea y creativa de la actividad humana de dar forma, en cambio su consideración hacia el “mito político moderno” consistirá en sus últimos trabajos en su aproximación estrecha con el surgimiento del nazismo y de los fascismos en Europa. Esta segunda forma del mito, el mito político moderno, será distinguido claramente del mito clásico en razón de su naturaleza artificial o “manufacturada”.