Peter Cave

"Who are the Jews? What do they believe? Why is Israel so important to them? What's all this about self-hating Jews? These are just some of the questions that engage a Reform rabbi and a Humanist philosopher in their lively and intriguing conversations. From Antisemitism to Zionism, from animal slaughter kosher-style to the Zeitgeist of Jewish disparaging humour, rabbi Dan Cohn-Sherbok gives us the flavours, traditions and 'feel' of Jewish life and identity enmeshed in the importance of the Holy Land, while philosopher Peter Cave gets him to dig deeper, revealing philosophical perplexities, unsettling questions -- and even Wittgenstein. The book is unique for it challenges unconscious assumptions such as the Jewish conviction that Judaism must survive and that Hitler must not secure a posthumous victory -- as well as widening eyes to searching questions concerning a nation's identity and what justifies territorial rights. Because Jewish humour plays a crucial role in Jewish life, this wide-ranging and thought-provoking exploration includes Jewish jokes and Dan's Jewish cartoons, all designed to add some spice to the dish of what it is like to be a Jew in these modern times. The dialogues introduce the non-Jewish to the Jewish world of argument, anguish and identity -- and will lead Jews to discover some fresh approaches and challenges to their interests and worries. For both Jews and non-Jews, this book casts lights -- with an engaging and accessible tone -- for, clearly, this rabbi and philosopher enjoy the cut and the thrust"--

"Renate Welsh's novel is a story about a woman's unsuccessful quest to build a home, to determine an identity. It is based on family documents of the author's great-great-grandfather, a representative in the Frankfurt consitutive Assembly and one of the leaders of the failed revolution of 1848 in Germany. He and his son eventually emigrated to the United States. The writings and correspondence of these two men appear in their original form in the novel, indicated by italics. The female protagonist, Pauline, is married to the son. There are no letters preserved from her, so the author lends Pauline a voice and attempts to correct an injustic done to this woman of the nineteenth century, the injustice of misunderstanding her, of forgetting her, or of never having taken note of her in the first place. Welsh rejects an omnipotent narrative perspective and instead engages in a conversaion with her protagonist. The two very different voices are layered one upon the other in the novel, and their juxtaposition creates a formal dialogic structure. Welsh situates the documentary materials within a fictional context. Thus fiction stands side by side with fact, subjective conjecture with objective statement. Pauline's story ends in insanity in 1855."--BOOK JACKET.

Surveys paradoxes in philosophy, thinking, and language.

Presents puzzles that deal with philosophical dilemmas such as whether gender equality is possible, the definition of love, and when action trumps intention.

The feminist movement has challenged many of the unstated assumptions on which ethics as a branch of philosophy has always rested - assumptions about human nature, moral agency, citizenship and kinship. The twenty-six readings in this book express the discontent of a succession of fiercely articulate women writers, from Mary Wollstonecraft to the present day, with the masculine bias of 'morality'. The editors have contributed an overall introduction, which discusses ethics, feminism and feminist themes in ethics, and have provided introductions to each of the readings, designed to situate in their historical and intellectual context. They have also compiled two lists for further reading: `Ethics: a Feminist Bibliography' and 'The Male Tradition'. Ethics: A Feminist Reader is an essential resource for students and teachers of philosophy, political theory and women's studies. For anyone with a stake in progressive sexual politics it is an inspirational guide. The volume contains essays by: Mary Wollstonecraft, Cicely Hamilton, Margaret Sanger, Betty Friedan, Christine Delphy, Andrea Dworkin, Rosalind Coward, Nickie Roberts, Emma Goldman, Virginia Woolf, Simone de Beauvoir, Audre Lorde June Jordan, Jacqueline Rose, Judith Williamson, Seyla Benhabib, Alexandra Kollontai, Adrienne Rich, Kate Soper, Catherine A. MacKinnon, Elizabeth Wilson, Susan F. Parrsons, Rosalind Pollack Petchesky, Sara Ruddick and Sheila Jeffreys.