Last night Harvard University professor Hilary Putnam discussed the problem of good and evil in modern Jewish thought during a lecture titled, “Who makes peace and creates evil: Jewish Philosophy and Jewish Guilt.”
The lecture, which was attended by Boston University President Jon Westling, Chancellor John Silber and Provost Dennis Berkey, began with Putnam discussing the understanding in biblical Judaism that bad things happened as punishment for things people did.
“Bad things were supposed to happen to bad people,” Putnam said.
Putnam discussed alternative explanations that can be found in modern thought, as this is not considered a satisfactory response to the question of why good things happen to bad people.
“There is a search for theology that is less guilt-ridden,” Putnam said. He went on to say there was a need to, “reinterpret what prophets say.”
Putnam said such reinterpretations could be found in the works of Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas, two 20th century philosophers. According to Buber, an individual’s relationship with God should be a personal relationship, in which the individual is able to question and argue with God.
According to professor Steven Katz, director of the Center for Judaic Studies at Boston University, Buber does not offer a solution to the question of why bad things happen to good people, but he offers an approach in the relationship the individual has with God.
“You don’t give up on humankind because bad things happen,” he said.
After the lecture, Putnam discussed questions from audience members on issues such as what is right and wrong according to Levinas and moral obligation and responsibilities. Many people in the audience were knowledgeable about the issues and authors being discussed, and were interested in continuing the discussion past the lecture.
“He opened up a very interesting arena of conversation between Buber and Levinas on a question of Jewish ethics and the project of re-imagining a response to an ethical commandment in today’s world,” said Martyn Oliver, a graduate student studying religion and literature.
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