Both Rousseau and Kant wrote their works with the intention of contributing to the well-being of humans. The ways in which Kant followed Rousseau to achieve this aim were many and go beyond those easily recognized. This article presents evidence for Rousseau’s influence in the Discipline of Pure Reason chapter of the Doctrine of Method in the First Critique. Both Rousseau and Kant emphasized discipline as a necessary part of a proper education that leads to a well-ordered life. Kant’s form (...) of discipline is modeled on the education given to Emile. This approach to the Discipline chapter also affords an enlightening view of Kant’s position in Dreams of a Spirit-Seer. (shrink)

I examine chapters I and II of the Dialectic of Pure Practical Reason from the Critique of Practical Reason, to show that Kant resolved the antimony of practical reason by first giving an accurate representation of the cause of a properly moral act and then recognizing that this accurate representation raised further problems, problems that were anticipated by Rousseau, especially in his Reveries of a Solitary Walker. Rousseau’s reveries allowed Kant to explore, and to some extent overcome, the darker implications (...) of their common understanding of virtue. In the second Critique this takes the form of explaining how one can understand and existentially achieve one’s own satisfaction based on contentment with oneself rather than enjoyment. (shrink)

“Even in its accepted modern meaning, which converts scandal into a mere matter of representation, the notion of the scandalous cannot be defined univocally.” “I recognize in scandal a rigorous definition of the mimetic process.” Not all rigorous definitions are univocal. But a reader of Girard’s works may be forgiven for thinking that the New Testament, or at least the Gospels, contain a uniform teaching on scandal. As Girard writes in Things Hidden: “A whole group of texts in the Gospels (...) centers on the notion of scandal, and in others it makes a significant appearance. Bring all these together, and you will reach a definite conclusion, even though the texts are quite heterogeneous” (416). .. (shrink)

Name der Zeitschrift: Kant-Studien Jahrgang: 106 Heft: 2 Seiten: 169-200.

In this radical reinterpretation of Rousseau, Jeremiah Alberg reveals the neglected theological dimension of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s philosophy. Alberg shows how only Christianity can bring the coherence of Rousseau’s system to light, arguing that the philosopher's system of thought is founded on theological scandal and on his inability to accept forgiveness through Christianity. This book explores Rousseau’s major works in a novel way, advancing his system of thought as an alternative to Christianity.

The “central aim” of this book is “to offer a nuanced and wide-ranging analysis of the complex and manifold ways in which British Romantic writers engaged with Rousseau” (3). To accomplish this, th...

Jeremiah Alberg’s fascinating book explores a phenomenon almost every news reader has experienced: the curious tendency to skim over dispatches from war zones, political battlefields, and economic centers, only to be drawn in by headlines announcing a late-breaking scandal. Rationally we would agree that the former are of more significance and importance, but they do not pique our curiosity in quite the same way. The affective reaction to scandal is one both of interest and of embarrassment or anger at the (...) interest. The reader is at the same time attracted to and repulsed by it. _Beneath the Veil of the Strange Verses _describes the roots out of which this conflicted desire grows, and it explores how this desire mirrors the violence that undergirds the scandal itself. The book shows how readers seem to be confronted with a stark choice: either turn away from scandal completely or become enthralled and thus trapped by it. Using examples from philosophy, literature, and the Bible, Alberg leads the reader on a road out of this false dichotomy. By its nature, the author argues, scandal is the basis of our reading; it is the source of the obstacles that prevent us from understanding what we read, and of the bridges that lead to a deeper grasp of the truth. (shrink)

This book is primarily a study of what we can learn about Didymus the Blind from a careful analysis of the Tura Papyri. The story of these Papyri, their origin, their being hidden,...

(2012). Idolatry and Representation: The Philosophy of Franz Rosenzweig Reconsidered. By Leora Batnitzky. The European Legacy: Vol. 17, No. 7, pp. 948-948. doi: 10.1080/10848770.2012.721750.

In the background of this book stands its yet-to-appear companion volume that will present the “alternative philosophical path” followed by Vico, Hamman, Herder and others. This, more positive visi...

As the subtitle suggests, this book serves as a guide through Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason. Those familiar with Yirmiyahu Yovel’s excellent work will find the usual clarity of writing and acuity...

This article gives an interpretation of F. Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy (1872) as a text that exemplifies the theory that it advances in its own textual practice. In order to show this, the author explains first the way in which Nietzsche undoes the distinction between science and art in the text and then embodies this undoing by a kind of writing which is both theoretical in the sense of being a theory about tragedy and is art itself in the (...) sense of being a tragedy. He shows further why writing in this way was necessary according to Nietzsche's understanding of tragedy. The key to the present interpretation is the identification of Socrates as the tragic hero of the piece. The article concludes with a few considerations of how Nietzshe's identification of Socrates with Dionysus can help lead us beyond Dionysus. /// O presente artigo pretende ser uma interpretação da obra A Origem da Tragédia (1872) de Friedrich Nietzsche, enquanto texto que põe em prática a sua própria teoria. Para demonstrar isto mesmo, o autor começa por explicar o modo como Nietzsche abole no texto a distinção entre ciência e arte para depois exemplificar esta mesma abolição mediante urn tipo de escrita que é simultaneamente teórico no sentido de ser uma teoria acerca da tragédia e arte propriamente dita no sentido de ser ele próprio uma tragédia. Mostra-se também até que ponto este modo de escrever era necessário tendo em conta a noção nietzschiana de tragédia. No centro desta interpretação está a identificação de Sócrates com o herói trágico da peça. O artigo conclui com algumas considerações acerca do modo como a identificação operada por Nietzsche entre Sócrates e Dionisio nos pode justamente ajudar a ultrapassar esta última figura. (shrink)

KantObservations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and the Sublime’ reveal a deep concern with the way in which the human drives to equality and unity lead inevitably to a drive for honour and its attendant delusions. He developed his thinking about these problems in the context of his reading of Rousseau. In his published Dreams of a Spirit-Seer, Kant tries to overcome the influence of the drive for honour by appealing to a metaphysics that is critical of itself. The (...) problem is how to distinguish what is grounded in reason when that reason is so easily influenced by others. (shrink)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus blesses those who “find no scandal” in him. Whatever the word “scandal” might mean in this beatitude, it cannot simply denote our usual sense of shock at flagrantly bad behavior. The scandal that one takes in Christ is the scandal of the Cross and, as such, it has to do with the crucial issues of evil, violence, and suffering, as well as redemption and salvation. The kind of scandal experienced in different ways by Jean-Jacques (...) Rousseau and by Jacques Derrida reading Rousseau.It might come as a surprise to learn that these two thinkers had some important things to say about scandal, but it should come as no surprise that they were drawn to the.. (shrink)

It is a commonplace that Rousseau, with his theory of the natural goodness of human beings, rejected the doctrine of original sin. As is often the case with commonplaces, the truth contained therein stands in need of investigation. This paper will seek to show that Rousseau's dissatisfaction with the dogma stemmed more from its lack of explanatory power, than from any supposed contradiction with the theory of natural goodness. Further, this rejection is part of a larger rejection of the supernatural (...) telos of human beings. Finally, the alternative that Rousseau proposes for the sin of Adam is a "fatal accident." Rousseau attempts to tell the story of this accident in such a way that the narrative itself will change the course of events that have followed upon the accident. /// Hoje é um lugar comum afirmar que Rousseau, graças à sua teoria acerca da bondade natural dos seres humanos, rejeitou a doutrina do pecado original. A verdade contida em lugares-comuns, contudo, necessita de ser investigada. Objectivo do presente artigo é mostrar até que ponto a insatisfaçāo de Rousseau com o dogma acerca do pecado original provinha mais da suafalta de poder explicativo do que de uma suposta contradição com a teoria da bondade natural dos seres humanos. Além disso, mostra também até que ponto essa rejeição em Rousseau fazparte de uma rejeigdo muito mais ampla na medida em que alargada à afirmação de todo e qualquer telos sobrenatural para os seres humanos. Mostra-se ainda, finalmente, até que ponto a alternativa proposta por Rousseau transforma o pecado de Adão num. "acidente fatal" e como Rousseau tenta narrar a história deste acidente de tal forma que a própria narrativa se revela com a pretensão de por si mesma alterar o percurso dos acontecimentos que se seguiu a esse acidente. (shrink)

This paper extends Richard Velkely’s interpretation of the influence of Jean-Jacques Rousseau on the philosophy of Immanuel Kant by examining it in the light of the concept of “scandal.” Kant himself saw the “scandal of ostensible contradiction of reason with itself” as what drove him to a critical examination of reason. My own research has shown that Rousseau’s system is rooted in scandal, so the task it to connect these two facts. First, the exact meaning and nature of scandal has (...) to be determined through a close reading of Kant’s Remarks in the Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime. Next, one must trace the connection between Kant’s reading of Rousseau and the problem that eventually becomes known as the antinomy of pure reason. (shrink)

This is an important, if flawed, book. Important, first, because there is a great need for philosophical reflection on the topics of prestige, honor, and reputation. These things are real, even if...

Towards the end of this masterful work, Walter Scheidel writes, “Be careful what you wish for.” This sentence captured my feeling throughout most of my reading of the book. I confess that before re...

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:THE SCANDAL OF ORIGINS IN ROUSSEAU Jeremiah L. Alberg University of West Georgia To speak of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and scandal is not difficult. Immediately one thinks of his relationship with Mme de Warens, his lover and his beloved mama. Most of his works upset some group or another—other intellectuals (the Discourse on the Sciences andArts), the Genevan authorities (the "Dedication" the Discourse on Inequality), the Church (Emile)—the list could (...) go on and on. In this article I would like to turn away from our usual use ofthe word scandal and look more deeply at the connection between Rousseau's system and the theological or, more properly, the biblical notion of scandal. This notion is obscure. While no one would deny its importance in the New Testament, trying to develop a coherent "theory ofscandal" from the various usages in the New Testament has proven difficult.1 To give only one example of the problem, Christ crucified is proclaimed as a scandal (ICor 1.23) and yet the Christians who follow him are forbidden to cause scandal to others (ICor 8.9), especially the younger and weaker. 1 For a basic understanding ofthe biblical notion ofscandal the following titles are helpful' G. Stählin, Skandalen Untersuchungen zur Geschichte eines biblischen Begriffs, (Gütersloh. Bertelsmann, 1930), as well as his article "Skandalen, skandahzo" in Theologisches Wörterbuch des Neuen Testaments, ed Kittel and Friedrich, 7 339-58, J Calvin, ConcerningScandals (translation oíDe scandalis. 1550) (Grand Rapids Eerdmans, 1 978), H Bintz. Das Skandalen als Grundlagenproblem derDogmata. (Berlin de Gruyter. 1969), D McCracken, The Scandal ofthe Gospels Jesus, Story, and Offense, (NY Oxford UP, 1994); J Alison, The Joy ofBeing Wrong Original Sm Through Easter Eyes (NY Crossroad, 1998) 140-146; G. Bailie, Violence Unveiled Humanity at the Crossroads (NY Crossroad, 1995) 207-2 10; R Girard, Des choses cachées depuis lafoundation du monde, (éditions Grasset et Fasqelle, 1978) especially 573-592 2 Jeremiah L. Alberg The most successful attempt at bringing coherence to the various elements of scandal has been carried out in the various works of René Girard.2 His basic insight was to see in biblical scandal an inchoate theory of human desire. Girard calls this desire "mimetic" or desire that one receives from another. This type of desire leads to scandal. It is here that the connection with Rousseau becomes evident. The famous literary theorist T. Todorov states: "the 'mimetic desire' of Girard is only another name for the amour-propre ofRousseau" (Todorov 38). For his part Girard defines theskandalon (that which causes the scandal) in the following way: It is not an obstacle thatjust happens to be there and merely has to be got out ofthe way; it is the model exerting its special form of temptation, causing attraction to the extent that it is an obstacle and forming an obstacle to the extent that it can attract. (Girard 1987, 416) Rousseau's analysis of amour-propre as that which excites without satisfying, seduces without delivering, and promises without fulfilling, parallels Girard's analysis ofmimetic desire as the doomed-to-be-frustrated reaching for the scanáalon3 Thus, I am arguing that in his various works Rousseau is developing the conceptual possibilities of biblical scandal. While there would be many way's of showing this structural parallel between Rousseau's thought and biblical scandal, I will concentrate on a reading ofthe "Preface" to the Discours sur l'origine et lesfondements de l'inégalité parmi les hommes (1755), in order to show that this work is structured by scandal. It is structured by a human desire that seeks what is unattainable and renders the object unattainable in the very seeking after it. More concretely, 1 shall argue that in the "Preface" Rousseau is able to reduce the question aboutthe origin ofinequality "to its genuine state" only 2 See the work cited above as well as his more recent / See Satan Fall Like Lightning ' Rousseau's definition of amour-propre makes its connection with offense (another translation of the biblical word for scandal) quite clear. Speaking of man in the primitive state he remarks. "For the same reason [that he is not capable ofmaking comparisons... (shrink)

In the background of this book stands its yet-to-appear companion volume that will present the “alternative philosophical path” followed by Vico, Hamman, Herder and others. This, more positive visi...

In this book John T. Lysaker is looking in the right places; he is looking in the right way, and, I think, even finds what he is looking for, and yet somehow he fails to see it. While I learned muc...

This work covers the development in Europe of the Phenomenological movement from 1900 until 1950, using a tripartite structure in which Part 1 deals with “how Husserl, Heidegger, and Scheler were i...

In the background of this book stands its yet-to-appear companion volume that will present the “alternative philosophical path” followed by Vico, Hamman, Herder and others. This, more positive visi...

As the subtitle suggests, this book serves as a guide through Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason. Those familiar with Yirmiyahu Yovel’s excellent work will find the usual clarity of writing and acuity...