Erich Gutkind: Unknown Colleague of Buber, Scholem and Benjamin - Einzelansicht

We will spend the semester reading excerpts from the work of mystical pacifist philosopher Erich Gutkind (1877-1965). The Absolute Collective: A Philosophical Attempt to Overcome our Broken State (1937), comprises a strange amalgam of leftism, Hegelian idealism and Jewish mystical theocracy. His 1952 book, Choose Life: The Biblical Call to Revolt, reads the Torah as an openly revolutionary program. Finally, we will look at an essay or two about nature from a collection published after Gutkind’s death, The Body of God: First Steps Toward an Anti-Theology (1969).

Requirements for credit points: A final project that will take the form of a research paper, short film or video, graphic work (comic), PowerPoint presentation, etc. (10.000 characters min.), on a topic chosen by the student in coordination with the instructor. Regardless of format, the presentation must have both a descriptive and analytical component.