Category Archives: Philosophy

All People Are Equal — Mostly

Posted on August 23, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

All human beings are equal. Let’s agree on that. But we must add a qualification: All human beings are equal in the morally relevant sense. They might or might not be equal in other ways. Let me tell you about … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | Tagged Ashes of Our Fathers, Egalitarianism, Equality, Human Dignity, Human Rights, Inequality | Leave a comment

Choosing to be Chosen

Posted on August 20, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

In most creation myths, an essential part of creating is to divide things from each other, thereby bringing order from chaos. In Genesis, God divides light from darkness, the waters above the firmament from waters below the firmament, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy | Tagged Arthur Green, Chosen People, Chosenness, creation myth, Hesiod, Judah Halevi, Maimonides, Moses and Monotheism, performative utterance, Sigmund Freud, speech acts, Theogony | Leave a comment

What Must We Believe?

Posted on August 9, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer Are certain beliefs required to be a Jew in good standing? Moses Maimonides says yes. Moses Mendelssohn says no. (And yes. And no. Mendelssohn was all over the map on that issue.) Among religious Jews, Maimonides is … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy, Philosophy, The Times of Israel | Tagged Beliefs, Guide of the Perplexed, Maimonides, Mendelssohn, Nature of Belief, Required Beliefs, Spinoza | Leave a comment

Maimonides and Keeping the Commandments

Posted on August 5, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer “God rewards those who perform the commandments of the Torah and punishes those who transgress its admonitions.”1 The Jewish sage Maimonides called that an essential tenet of our faith. But there’s something a little odd about it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy, Philosophy, The Times of Israel | Tagged A Maimonides Reader, A Priori, Belief, Commandments, Epistemology, Functions of Belief, Halacha, Judaism, Maimonides, Mitzvot, Times of Israel, Twersky | Leave a comment

Words, Order, and Tisha B’Av

Posted on July 24, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer One of Judaism’s deepest beliefs, says Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, is “that God is to be found in words, that these words are to be found in the Torah …”1 That’s right in one way, but wrong in … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy, Philosophy | Tagged Book of Lamentations, First Temple, Idealism, Jewish Calendar, Jewish History, Jonathan Sacks, Joseph Telushkin, Kabbalah, Ninth of Av, Second Temple, Tisha B'Av | 1 Comment

Turning Around Spinoza’s Challenge

Posted on July 23, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer Spinoza meant it as a taunt. But it might hold one of the keys to Jewish survival. Depending on where you sit, Baruch de Spinoza is either the founder of modern Jewish philosophy or Judaism’s deadliest critic. … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy | Tagged Descartes, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Maimonides, Mendelssohn, Philosophy, Spinoza, Times of Israel | Leave a comment

Is It Reason or Revelation?

Posted on July 11, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer Apart from goofy statements made by individual philosophers, philosophy has a pretty good reputation. It uses logic, cites evidence, and presents comprehensible arguments that you can accept or reject on their merits. On the other hand, religious revelation has … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy | Tagged Bible, Boethius, Brettler, Consolation of Philosophy, Hazony, Jewish, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Parmenides, Philosophy, Pre-Socratics, Revelation, Tanach, Torah | Leave a comment

Where You Stand Depends on Where You Start

Posted on July 9, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N.S. Palmer We like to think that we base our beliefs only on logic and evidence, but we don’t. Don’t worry. It’s not just you. Or me. Nobody does. If we start with different assumptions, we interpret evidence differently. Based on those different interpretations, … Continue reading →