Tag Archives: Samson Raphael Hirsch

Absolutely Relatively True

Posted on February 8, 2016 by N.S. Palmer

My new blog post for The Jerusalem Post: “Absolute truth.” People like that phrase. It sounds serious. It shows they are committed. No weasel words. No equivocation. They said something, they mean it, and it’s absolutely true. Menachem Kellner, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Epistemology, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Philosophy, The Jerusalem Post | Tagged Absolute Truth, Dogma, Menachem Kellner, Modern Orthodox Judaism, Samson Raphael Hirsch, Theory of truth, Truth | 1 Comment

What We Owe to Past, Present, and Future

Posted on August 31, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

What do we owe to people who lived in the past and are now dead? What do we owe to people now living? What do we owe to people in generations yet to come? And perhaps most important: What is … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy | Tagged Ideology, Modern Orthodox Judaism, Philosophy of time, Reform Judaism, Saint Augustine, Samson Raphael Hirsch, Samuel Holdheim, Social Change, Time | Leave a comment

Is Jewish Philosophy Bad for the Jews?

Posted on July 10, 2015 by N.S. Palmer

By N. S. Palmer Is Jewish philosophy bad for the Jews? I think it has to do with apple pie. Whatever it has to do with, it’s not an idle question. Moses Mendelssohn, the 18th-century philosopher who led the Jewish … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy | Tagged Horeb, Jerusalem, Jewish assimilation, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Maimonides, Modern Orthodox Judaism, Moses Mendelssohn, Samson Raphael Hirsch | 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 →