Q&A: On Karl Popper, and also a question about providence
On Karl Popper, and also a question about providence
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I read Karl Popper’s books The Open Society and Its Enemies and The Poverty of Historicism, and I wanted to know whether, in your opinion, Popper is a classical conventionalist, and whether your critique of that approach applies to him as well. Also, do you think his critique of the views he calls historicist (those that purport to present a uniform law of historical development) also applies to someone who thinks in an essentialist way, and does his critique also apply to the Hegelian elements (especially in Orot) in Rabbi Kook’s thought?
A second question—I read your article “Hermeneutics of Canonical Texts.” You wrote there that in your opinion the process of canonization of the Oral Torah is guided by the Holy One, blessed be He. How does that fit with your view that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not exercise providence? Or do you think the Oral Torah is an exception to that rule?
Thanks in advance!
Answer
I did indeed read the books, but I can’t answer. I don’t remember the details of the critiques (which are fairly intricate), and this is a question for research work, not for an internet reply.
My view on divine providence has changed since then. In any case, what I offered there was an explanation for the view commonly found in yeshivot and among traditional learners.
Discussion on Answer
This will be explained in the book I’m currently writing. I also explained it briefly here on the site in a few places.
So who does supervise? Honorable Rabbi, if what we put into our mouths needs supervision, then the One who brought us into the world won’t supervise us?
Rabbi, why is it worthwhile to spread your opinion, when you hold this as a lone view (as far as I know), that there is no providence in our times? How can that help innocent readers, or not-so-innocent ones?
When you say there is no providence, do you mean that also regarding animals that do not speak? So what is the difference between providence over lowly speaking beings, lowly non-speaking but living beings, and the intermediate lowly things (heavens, stars, etc.)?
What is the essential reason you think there is no providence?
If there is no providence, how will the righteous be preserved? How can this be fulfilled for them: “He will not let your foot falter; your Guardian will not slumber. Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. The Lord is your Guardian; the Lord is your shade at your right hand,” and at night on the bed we say: “Behold, Solomon’s bed—sixty mighty men around it”; “The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth.” The Malbim said on this verse:
“In every place are the eyes of the Lord, watching the evil and the good.” That is, although many hold that providence follows intellect and good deeds, and although we find that the Lord hides His face from evil and cannot look upon wrongdoing, nevertheless know that “the eyes of the Lord” are “in every place.” That is, although according to the picture we imagine—of Him looking from His holy dwelling, or from a place to a place prepared for individual providence—we say that this place and this person are singled out for the application of providence, while from that place and person He hides His face and does not look at them. But according to the view that all creation is the eyes of the Lord, and everything is arranged in such a way that nothing is left to chance, and all nature, the cosmic order, and generation are full of eyes, which are the agents of providence, looking and watching over everything that is done, and there is no darkness or shadow of death in which evildoers can hide, for the eyes stand around them in every place, and they “watch both the evil and the good,” and everything is prepared for reckoning. And the watcher is one who watches what is yet to come, and so these eyes, which are the eyes of providence, watch the future, both evil and good, and everything is according to the providence that fills all places.” End quote.
Anyone who wants to see additional explanations of this verse:
https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%9E%22%D7%92_%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%9C%D7%99_%D7%98%D7%95_%D7%92
Rabbi, do you think you are disagreeing with the other explanations, or are you pushing them aside and saying that “in our times” there is no providence as there was in the past?
To conclude, I have to say: “In every place where I cause My name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you” (of course, in every place and at every time).
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, to save their soul from death; in distress you called and I rescued you; He will never let the righteous be moved.
“The Lord, the Lord, God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in kindness and truth. Preserver of kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; but He does not clear completely, visiting the iniquity of fathers upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations.”
His kindness extends to thousands of generations… these are God’s attributes. It is impossible to disagree with that. Abundant in kindness and truth. Blessed be His name forever, amen.
Moshe, truth always has value. And in this case it also has a simple benefit for those who are not prepared to buy the nonsense and slogans we grew up on. I offer them a way to remain rational believers. You can find repetition of providence slogans under every leafy tree, and whoever wants can get them there.
I’m trying with all my teeth to chew and chew so that what I’m hearing here will digest, and I just can’t.
How can you call rational people “believers” without being rational about the essence of God? This is not like that; that is not like this. It won’t work!
The Torah already “nailed them” with the definition: “For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us; the Lord has abandoned the land.’ And He said to me: You will yet again see greater abominations that they are doing.” That is also true regarding the “rational” people you are talking about.
The essence of God is His providence in the world—“I Am That I Am has sent me to you… this is My name forever, and this is My remembrance for generation to generation.”
The Creator constitutes all the existence that He created. “I, the Lord, have not changed.”
Rabbi, if the Creator does not supervise, then who does?
If the Lord does not guard a city, the watchman keeps vigil in vain. If He does not exercise providence (in the active sense), then nobody does. Passive providence is certainly plausible, since He follows what is being done. But intervening—He probably does not intervene, or at least almost never intervenes. Ordinary ongoing reality proceeds according to the laws of nature without divine interventions.
The verse you brought supports my side—guarding the city is providence over the whole city, guarding in an actual sense as a result of providence.
The guarding is the result of providence!
So it would be better to phrase it correctly—from now on write that God does not intervene (or almost does not), but He definitely does supervise!
Know, dear reader, that the Holy One, blessed be He, hides His face from us because that is what we deserve; it is because of our sins—but He does supervise. And on the other hand He does not want to destroy us. Even the Holocaust is a result of providence—He could easily have destroyed us; what would stop Him? “Yet even then, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or spurn them so as to destroy them and annul My covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God” (and this is also a claim against the Christians, for His covenant with us is alive and enduring). That implies that in order to remove the veil of the hiding of His face from us, we need truly to return to Him! And that is what should be conveyed to the “rational” “believers.” Hannah asked the Lord for a son, and she received one! Why didn’t He give her one from the start? So that we would learn that the Lord supervises and has no problem fulfilling any wish of ours! Therefore, in my opinion, we need to be very careful, because if we do not trust in our Guardian (the Holy One, blessed be He) over this city, we will cease to exist—we have no right to think that we are alive today by our own merit! Only because of His infinite mercy! How can we not thank Him for that, and God forbid think that the Lord has abandoned the land? Or God forbid think, “My power and the might of my hand have produced this wealth for me.” There is no such thing; that is really idolatry. That is why I said earlier that I simply cannot connect to the opinion that there is no providence!
In what do you want the Holy One, blessed be He, to intervene? In the laws of nature? But nature does not protect us! Nature cannot save a person from an accident! Nor a person from drowning! Nor a person from his enemy, nor a soldier from an ambush! “And behold, angels of God were ascending and descending on it; and behold, the Lord stood over him”—this testifies to constant providence!
More power to you, and thank you, honorable Rabbi!
Could you please expand on why your view on matters of providence changed? What are the reasons for that?
Do you have some article on this topic?