Karl Löwith’s Secularization Thesis and the Jewish Reception of Heidegger
This article argues that Karl Löwith’s thesis of secularization—in brief, that while modern philosophical notions present themselves as secular, they are in fact secularized, that is, they preserve features of the theological background they repress and remain determined by it—can serve as a product...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/6/411 |
| _version_ | 1797531457325891584 |
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| author | Daniel M. Herskowitz |
| author_facet | Daniel M. Herskowitz |
| author_sort | Daniel M. Herskowitz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article argues that Karl Löwith’s thesis of secularization—in brief, that while modern philosophical notions present themselves as secular, they are in fact secularized, that is, they preserve features of the theological background they repress and remain determined by it—can serve as a productive hermeneutical key for framing and understanding an important strand in the twentieth century Jewish response to Heidegger’s philosophy. It takes Ernst Cassirer, Leo Strauss, and Martin Buber as test-cases and demonstrates that these three Jewish thinkers interpreted various categories of Heidegger’s <i>Being and Time</i> to be not simply secular but secularized Christian categories that continue to bear the mark of their theological origin even in their now-secular application and context. The article concludes with a number of reflections and observations on how Löwith’s thesis of secularization can shed light on the polemical and political-theological edge of this strand in Heidegger’s Jewish reception. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:44:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-93b1620ce0b0432a9979a664f4e43e36 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:44:05Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-93b1620ce0b0432a9979a664f4e43e362023-11-21T22:44:31ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442021-06-0112641110.3390/rel12060411Karl Löwith’s Secularization Thesis and the Jewish Reception of HeideggerDaniel M. Herskowitz0Wolfson College, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6UD, UKThis article argues that Karl Löwith’s thesis of secularization—in brief, that while modern philosophical notions present themselves as secular, they are in fact secularized, that is, they preserve features of the theological background they repress and remain determined by it—can serve as a productive hermeneutical key for framing and understanding an important strand in the twentieth century Jewish response to Heidegger’s philosophy. It takes Ernst Cassirer, Leo Strauss, and Martin Buber as test-cases and demonstrates that these three Jewish thinkers interpreted various categories of Heidegger’s <i>Being and Time</i> to be not simply secular but secularized Christian categories that continue to bear the mark of their theological origin even in their now-secular application and context. The article concludes with a number of reflections and observations on how Löwith’s thesis of secularization can shed light on the polemical and political-theological edge of this strand in Heidegger’s Jewish reception.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/6/411Martin Heideggermodern jewish thoughtErnst CassirerMartin BuberLeo StraussKarl Löwith |
| spellingShingle | Daniel M. Herskowitz Karl Löwith’s Secularization Thesis and the Jewish Reception of Heidegger Religions Martin Heidegger modern jewish thought Ernst Cassirer Martin Buber Leo Strauss Karl Löwith |
| title | Karl Löwith’s Secularization Thesis and the Jewish Reception of Heidegger |
| title_full | Karl Löwith’s Secularization Thesis and the Jewish Reception of Heidegger |
| title_fullStr | Karl Löwith’s Secularization Thesis and the Jewish Reception of Heidegger |
| title_full_unstemmed | Karl Löwith’s Secularization Thesis and the Jewish Reception of Heidegger |
| title_short | Karl Löwith’s Secularization Thesis and the Jewish Reception of Heidegger |
| title_sort | karl lowith s secularization thesis and the jewish reception of heidegger |
| topic | Martin Heidegger modern jewish thought Ernst Cassirer Martin Buber Leo Strauss Karl Löwith |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/6/411 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT danielmherskowitz karllowithssecularizationthesisandthejewishreceptionofheidegger |