Q&A: Knowledge of God in Philosophy Books
Knowledge of God in Philosophy Books
Question
Hello, Rabbi,
Lately I’ve been feeling a spiritual emotion, a kind of uplift and thirst for the sublime. In the past it was satisfied by Ramchal and Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook; can I find “knowledge of God” in the writings of Immanuel Kant? (I know this is a strange question, but it is a serious one.)
Answer
Hello, Shay.
This is not a strange question at all. And it definitely seems serious to me.
It seems to me that the answer depends on how one defines “knowledge of God.” A view of the world and of the meanings of what is in it you can certainly find in his writings (I find it there much more than in those you mentioned). But that is only if general philosophy counts, in your view, as knowledge of God. Perhaps that itself is an important lesson that belongs to knowledge of God—what is included in it.
On the other hand, if you mean emotion and longing, I don’t know, because I don’t have that. Here, each person has his own path, feelings, and psychological makeup. But from my perspective, that is only the satisfaction of urges, and it does not have much value. Only the cognitive dimension has value. See Column 22 on the site.