Q&A: Background to Leibowitz’s Thought
Background to Leibowitz’s Thought
Question
Hello Rabbi, I recently started studying and exploring Leibowitz’s thought, and it’s quite hard to make sense of the mountains of his writings. I saw that the Rabbi refers to the fact that Yeshayahu came from the positivist world. Could the Rabbi point me to literature and writings that would provide suitable background for his thought? I would prefer not writings about him, but rather earlier writings from which he (perhaps) drew his worldview—or his non-worldview…
Thank you very much, and happy holiday.
Answer
Hello,
I wouldn’t invest time in clarifying Leibowitz’s thought, because in my estimation there is no systematic and consistent doctrine there. There are ideas there, some of which are correct (and many of which go much too far). If you want background on positivism, search online (I don’t recall anything recommended at the moment).
Discussion on Answer
It’s hard for me to get into that here. There are articles and books about this, such as “Negation for Its Own Sake,” for example.
Hello Rabbi, where is the system inconsistent?