Research Programme
Research Objective
The aim of the research undertaken at the Maimonides Centre for Advanced Studies (MCAS) is to present two dimensions of Jewish scepticism:
- Scepticism in a specific sense, as discussed in modern critical debates on the history and impact of ancient philosophical scepticism from antiquity to the present, with a special focus on the early modern period.
- Scepticism in an extended sense, manifesting itself in sceptical strategies, concepts, and attitudes and towards elements of tradition occurring in literary, dialogic, educational, and social phenomena (i.e., cultural expressions of scepticism).
One of the most important research objectives is to examine whether the method of enquiry implied in the term “scepticism” could be regarded as an anthropological constant—despite the alleged dialectical difference—across both Eastern and Western philosophy and culture. The assumption would be that people in every culture express doubts about the truth claims of authorities, the reliability of texts and their social or mystical relevance, the power and presence of divinities or the power of reason and the controlling power of social structures and their respective consequences. It is the task of researchers at the Maimonides Centre for Advanced Studies to find new perspectives, methods, and/or theories to address sceptical modes in different cultures, languages, religions, and Weltanschauungen while avoiding pre-textual generalisations.
Research Programme of the Second Funding Period: 2019–24
In the second funding period, MCAS will structure its research activity around the following four key topics (further information see below):
- Scepticism between Enquiry and Doubt (2019–20)
- Sources of Knowledge (2020–21)
- Scepticism and Language (2021–22)
- Limits of Scepticism, Limits of Faith (2022–23)
- (Jewish) Scepticism as a Strategy and Challenge in Past and Present (2023–24)
These key topics were chosen because of their fundamental significance to all periods of Western philosophy and thought. The first two key topics were also addressed in the first funding period, and they will continue to be covered during the second phase of MCAS’s research due to their development during the early modern and modern periods. Modern discussions of epistemology, revelation, the sciences, and doubt are the turning points of modern thought. Since terms such as “theology,” “science,” and “dogma” essentially differ in meaning in antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the early modern and modern periods, further research is needed. These topics also reflect a logical progression from a typology of scepticism as a phenomenon within the Jewish tradition to its specific manifestations in principal contexts and finally to the grounds for its acceptance or rejection, especially in the face of the sequence of events in Jewish history up to and including the Holocaust. Every topic will be studied with reference to abstract philosophical enquiry, concrete expressions within Judaism, and complementary phenomena from other traditions. The historical scope of the research will be extended from the early modern period to the present—not neglecting, however, the earlier historical periods, which continue to play a decisive role as a background for more recent developments in (Jewish) scepticism.
As in the first funding period, the Maimonides Centre for Advanced Studies not only welcomes applications scholars within the fields of Jewish studies and Jewish philosophy, but also from scholars in other fields. It will conduct research that will either offer a broader context or allow fruitful comparison with the Jewish aspect of the themes discussed.