Kestrel Curro
28 September 2013
Mendelssohn: Defense
in Favor of Jews and Judaism against Immanuel Kant for an Enlightened Judaism
“We… live
in an age of enlightenment.”[1]
Immaturity is slowly diminishing from society. The Jews are taking action to
become more enlightened and to redefine their beliefs to contribute to the age
of learning. Moses Mendelssohn is leading the Jews to gaining a new perspective
on old ideas. Are the Jews truly becoming enlightened, or are they just telling
those who consider themselves as part of the enlightenment to leave them alone
to their old beliefs?
Immanuel Kant defines Judaism as
“…Man’s emergence from his self-incurred immaturity. Immaturity is the
inability to use one’s own understanding without the guidance of another.”[2] This
directly attacks Judaism and its foundation; not only Judaism, but all
religions. Kant argues that this immaturity is built into the religious systems
and that any religious person is not a free thinker. He, however, is mistaken
and is not taking into account all of the variables. Judaism has evolved since its creation.
Mendelssohn states his three basic ideas of what previously practiced Judaism
believed: 1) Religious doctrines are based on eternal truths about God and
without which, man cannot have felicity. Obedience is not forced on Jews by
fear of punishment, but because the doctrines are backed with natural evidence
of eternal truth and recommended to rational acknowledgment. 2) Historical
documents and scriptures are to be followed on faith alone without hesitation.
3) The laws and commandments were created by God and were explained when
created, but have dropped into incomprehensibility because no written interpretations
were created when the laws were created. The meanings of the laws have been
taught through word of mouth, which lead to inconsistency.[3] These
three descriptors are no longer as relevant as they once were which Kant does
not see. Enlightened Judaism uses a new definition of Judaism: “A revelation of
truths which either supersedes or superfluously duplicates the judgments of
reason.”[4]
“I
recognize no eternal truths other than those that are not merely comprehensible
to human reason but can also be demonstrated and verified by human powers.”[5] This
is an essential part of the enlightened Jewish religion. Blind faith is no
longer a common characteristic of an enlightened Jew. All doctrines are put
under scrutiny by human reason to find truth within them.
Moerschel explained that this idea shakes the very
foundations of Judaism and that Mendelssohn should convert to Christianity
because of it. Mendelssohn used his reason by saying that Christianity is built
on top of Judaism, like a two story house, and asks why he should move upstairs
if the whole house is going to fall down anyway.[6] His
enlightened perspective shows that it is possible for Jews to no longer follow
based on faith alone, but also reason based on natural and factual evidence.
This perspective of free thinking is something that Kant preaches frequently.
Why should
it truly matter if one believes in Christianity or Judaism or even Islam? As
Kant states, this aspect is no important factor to a society as long as no one
group disrupts or initiates violence toward another group. It is no one’s
business as to which course of salvation someone else takes, even the
monarch’s.[7]
Mendelssohn agrees by saying that all should have tolerance toward others, or
at least teach their children tolerance to create a better environment for
posterity. As long as he is not harming others, why not let him invoke God in
his own way? God gave humanity free thinking for a reason. The Monarchs may
even try to dissuade the public from the true problem which is intellectual
immaturity, by telling you what to do and then making it a secular law of the
land. But this form of immaturity is not inherent to the enlightened Jew.[8]
Kant may
still believe that following any religion at all is part of social immaturity,
and that is acceptable. He says, “…We require a certain mechanism whereby some
members of the commonwealth must behave purely passively, so that they may, by
an artificial common agreement, be employed by the government for public ends
(or at least deterred from vitiating them).”[9] Many
Jews may become enlightened Jews, but even if some don’t, based on Kant’s own
views, immature thinking is essential to a functioning society. What better
people to fill immature thinking and obedient government jobs than people that
are already accustomed to thinking immaturely in their personal lives? There
may be many Enlightened Jews that do not fit in well concerning these
positions, but there are plenty of people, and not just Jews, that would be
crucial to those professional roles. Even then, why not just leave them alone
to their business? Why must anyone interfere? Interference is not something the
Enlightened Jews are taking part in; they are leaving all others to their
beliefs and personal and professional business. Why should they have to change
any of their values because someone else does not hold those same values? Mendelssohn
has personally reassessed Jewish values and found that many of them still hold
true to enlightened and informed reasoning.
The Jews
are moving forward just as much as anyone else who is part of the
enlightenment. They are exploring old ideas to assess their current relevance.
They are shedding immature thinking. They are becoming enlightened.
[1] Immanuel
Kant, “What is Enlightenment?” Page 4.
[2] Immanuel
Kant, “What is Enlightenment?” Page 1.
[3] Mendes-Flohr,
“Judaism as Revealed Legislation”. Page 104-6.
[4] Mendes-Flohr,
“Judaism as Revealed Legislation”. Page 106.
[5] Mendes-Flohr,
“Judaism as Revealed Legislation”. Page 104.
[6] Mendes-Flohr,
“Judaism Is the Cornerstone of Christianity”. Page 104-6.
[7] Immanuel
Kant, “What is Enlightenment?”. Page 4.
[8] Mendes-Flohr,
“The Right to be Different”. Page 66.
[9] Immanuel
Kant, “What is Enlightenment?”. Page 2.
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