The Art of Dialogue in Jeish Philosophy [Paperback]

Aaron W. Hughes presents the first major study of dialogue as a Jewish philosophical practice. Examining connections between Jewish philosophy, the literary form in which it is expressed, and the culture in which it is produced, Hughes shows how Jews understood and struggled with their social, religious, and intellectual environments. In this innovative and insightful book, Hughes addresses various themes associated with the literary form of dialogue as well as its philosophical reception: Why did various thinkers choose dialogue? What did it allow them to accomplish? How do the literary features of dialogue construct philosophical argument? As a history of philosophical form, context, and practice, this book will interest scholars and students working at the intersections of religious studies, philosophy, and literature.

Aaron W. Hughes is Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Calgary, Canada. He is author of The Texture of the Divine: Imagination in Medieval Islamic and Jewish Thought (IUP, 2004).

[R]epresents an important new trend in Jewish philosophy, and moves the field one step closer to a complete social, cultural, and literary history.With this work Aaron Hughes has established himself as a prominent member of a new wave of Jewish scholars who . . . are charting exciting new directions for Jewish philosophy.Vol. 38.1 2009

Contents
Acknowledgments
1. Expanding the Canon of Jewish Philosophy: Toward an Appreciation of Genre
2. Judah Halevi: The Dialogue of Subversion
3. Shem Tov ibn Falaquera: Dialogues of Reconciliation and Dissemination
4. Isaac Polleqar: The Dialogue of Disputation
5. Judah Abravanel: The Dialogue of Desire
6. Moses Mendelssohn: The Dialogue of Fragility
Epilogue: From Dialogue to Dialogic
Notes
Bibliography
Index