Dylan Shaul presents the one of the most important events in modern philosophy, the Pantheism Controversy sparked by the reception of Spinoza in 18th century Germany. The Controversy involved the greatest German philosophers of the period, and laid the foundations for the next 200 years of European thought. In the balance of the Pantheism Controversy hung the fate of the Enlightenment and Modernity; the fate of faith and reason, religion and philosophy; the fate of freedom, of the immortal soul, and even of God Godself. Our story will take us from the renegade Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza, to the heyday of the German Aufklärung or Enlightenment, through the philosophical revolution of Immanuel Kant, and eventually the birth of German Idealism itself. In the first episode of the series, we explored the philosophy of Spinoza and its reception in Germany, which first spurred the controversy. In the second episode we explored Immanuel Kant’s response to Spinozism and the Pantheism Controversy, where he attempted to stake out a middle ground between reason and faith. In this third episode we’ll tackle Hegel’s efforts to solve the Pantheism Controversy by reconciling Spinoza and Kant—thereby attempting to complete the grand journey from nihilism to Absolute Spirit. Dylan Shaul is a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. His dissertation is titled Hegel's Concept of Reconciliation: On Absolute Spirit. He has also published on Spinoza, Kant, Kierkegaard, Husserl, Adorno, Levinas, Kristeva, and Derrida. See more of his work here: https://www.dylanshaul.com 00:00 Introduction to Hegel 06:04 Substance and Subject: ‘The True is the Whole’ 13:30 Hegel’s Encyclopedia System: Logic, Nature, Spirit 22:21 Hegel on Pantheism 35:51 Hegel on the ‘Death of God’ 54:49 Critical Reception of Hegel 1:02:11 Conclusion Join Seekers: https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofu https://facebook.com/seekersofunity Support Seekers: https://www.patreon.com/seekers https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Dylan Shaul presents the one of the most important events in modern philosophy, the Pantheism Controversy sparked by the reception of Spinoza in 18th century Germany. The Controversy involved the greatest German philosophers of the period, and laid the foundations for the next 200 years of European thought. In the balance of the Pantheism Controversy hung the fate of the Enlightenment and Modernity; the fate of faith and reason, religion and philosophy; the fate of freedom, of the immortal soul, and even of God Godself. Our story will take us from the renegade Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza, to the heyday of the German Aufklärung or Enlightenment, through the philosophical revolution of Immanuel Kant, and eventually the birth of German Idealism itself. In the first episode of the series, we explored the philosophy of Spinoza and its reception in Germany, which first spurred the controversy. In this second episode we'll explore Immanuel Kant’s response to Spinozism and the Pantheism Controversy, where he attempted to stake out a middle ground between reason and faith. In the third episode we’ll tackle Hegel’s efforts to solve the Pantheism Controversy by reconciling Spinoza and Kant—thereby attempting to complete the grand journey from nihilism to Absolute Spirit. Dylan Shaul is a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. His dissertation is titled Hegel's Concept of Reconciliation: On Absolute Spirit. He has also published on Spinoza, Kant, Kierkegaard, Husserl, Adorno, Levinas, Kristeva, and Derrida. See more of his work here: https://www.dylanshaul.com 00:00 Introduction to Kant 04:25 Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason 09:35 Practical Rational Faith 14:26 Critical Reception of Kant Join Seekers: https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofu https://facebook.com/seekersofunity Support Seekers: https://www.patreon.com/seekers https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Dylan Shaul presents the one of the most important events in modern philosophy, the Pantheism Controversy sparked by the reception of Spinoza in 18th century Germany. The Controversy involved the greatest German philosophers of the period, and laid the foundations for the next 200 years of European thought. In the balance of the Pantheism Controversy hung the fate of the Enlightenment and Modernity; the fate of faith and reason, religion and philosophy; the fate of freedom, of the immortal soul, and even of God Godself. Our story will take us from the renegade Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza, to the heyday of the German Aufklärung or Enlightenment, through the philosophical revolution of Immanuel Kant, and eventually the birth of German Idealism itself. In this first episode of the series, we’ll explore the philosophy of Spinoza and its reception in Germany, which first spurred the controversy. In the second episode we’ll turn to Kant’s response to the controversy, in which he tried to stake out a middle ground between reason and faith. In the third episode we’ll tackle Hegel’s efforts to solve the Pantheism Controversy by reconciling Spinoza and Kant—thereby attempting to complete the grand journey from nihilism to Absolute Spirit. Dylan Shaul is a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. His dissertation is titled Hegel's Concept of Reconciliation: On Absolute Spirit. He has also published on Spinoza, Kant, Kierkegaard, Husserl, Adorno, Levinas, Kristeva, and Derrida. See more of his work here: https://www.dylanshaul.com 00:00 Intro the Series 06:04 Introduction to Spinoza 11:21 Spinoza’s Philosophy 17:53 Critical Reception of Spinoza 22:47 The Pantheism Controversy Join Seekers: https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofu https://facebook.com/seekersofunity Support Seekers: https://www.patreon.com/seekers https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Join Biti Roi in a critical and meaningful exploration of religious faith and doubt as filtered through the mind of a radical mystic, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov and the luminous words of the Tikkunei Zohar. Dr. Biti Roi is a Senior Fellow of the Kogod Research Center of Contemporary Jewish Thought. Biti holds a Ph.D from Bar Ilan University and is a lecturer in the Department of Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University and the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem, where she teaches kabbalah and Hasidism. She was a leader and participant in the first cohort of the Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis and teaches at the Shalom Hartman Institute for various programs in Israel and abroad. Biti has won several prizes and post doctorate fellowships (Kreitman, Polack, Elyashar) at Ben-Gurion University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her book, Love of Shekhina: Mysticism and Poetics in Tiqqunei ha-Zohar, was awarded the Matanel World Union of Jewish Studies Prize for the best book in Jewish Studies. Source: https://www.hartman.org.il/person/biti-roi/

00:00 Excerpt 00:17 Opening 01:20 Why R' Nachman is still alive 08:29 A Personal Journey 15:01 R' Nachman 18:50 R’ Nachman's Path 26:08 The Body 30:48 Radical Mystic 35:32 Scholar and Seeker 41:54 Question 47:39 Storyteller 59:06 R' Nachman and the Zohar 1:12:08 Core Themes 1:17:35 Thank you Join us: https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunityhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://www.seekersofunity.com Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Billy, Jackie, Andrew, Josh, Glenn, Zv, George, Ivana, Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre. Join them in supporting us: patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Join us on a journey of faith and heresy with Rabbi Dr. Shraga Bar-On through a neglected chapter in the history of Jewish mysticism, the mysticism of the great sages of the Mishna and the Talmud. In a rich culture of dispute, rabbinic voices debate the mystical. Shraga gives us a first-hand creative rereading of one of the most mystical rabbinic passages, the famed ‘Four Who Entered the Orchard’ shedding light on its secret history and transformation from a forbidding tale of three, to a cautionary tale of four. Join us as we venture into the orchard, discover its pitfalls, promises, presences and pleasures, and whatever you do, don’t say ‘water, water.’ Rabbi Dr. Shraga Bar-On is the Director of the Kogod Research Center for Contemporary Jewish Thought and the David Hartman Center for Intellectual Excellence, and a lecturer of Talmud and Jewish Thought at Shalem College.

At the David Hartman Center, he is responsible for the advanced training of aspiring public intellectuals through the Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis, the David Hartman postdoctoral fellowship, and the Maskilot fellowship for women pursuing their doctorate. His research in Jewish philosophy and identity addresses a wide range of eras and topics: Second Temple literature, Mishnaic and Talmudic scholarship, medieval Jewish literature, early Zionism, and contemporary Jewish identity. His books and other works have been published in academic, popular, and educational contexts.

Shraga lives in Beit Horon, is married to Vered, and is the father of Peleg, Sinai, and Gefen. Source: https://www.hartman.org.il/person/shraga-bar-on/

00:00 Excerpt 00:48 Mysticism among the Rabbis 11:50 A Culture of Dispute 26:41 Normal Mysticism – Akiva 30:21 Four Who Entered 44:39 Battling Schools 52:53 Encountering Two Gods 59:45 Relevance Today Join us: https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsmhttps://facebook.com/seekersofunityhttps://instagram.com/seekersofunityhttps://www.twitter.com/seekersofuhttps://www.seekersofunity.com Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Frederique, Laurie, Joshua, Spacecowboy, Cliffton, Steve, Billy, Jackie, Andrew, Josh, Glenn, Zv, George, Ivana, Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre. Join them in supporting us: patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Join us for a laborious and enlivening conversation on birth and rebirth, hope and fear, beauty and chaos, spirit and matter - winding through the tunnels of Kabbalah and Psychoanalysis. Dr. Ruth Kara-Ivanov Kaniel (Ph.D. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2010) is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Jewish History and Thought at the University of Haifa where she heads the Posen Saulire Foundation-funded Jewish Israeli Culture Program. She also serves as Research Fellow at the Tel Aviv Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis and at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Her research deals with intersections between mysticism, gender, and psychoanalysis. Dr. Kara-Ivanov Kaniel was a postdoctoral fellow at New York University, the HBI center at Brandeis University, and a Kreitman and Matanel at Ben-Gurion University. She also headed a Research Group on “Psychoanalysis and Kabbalah” at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. Her book Holiness and Transgression: Mothers of the Messiah in the Jewish Myth was published by Academic Studies Press (2017). Her book Human Ropes—Birth in Kabbalah and Psychoanalysis” won the Gorgias Press competition for Jewish Thought and will soon be published by De Gruyter Press. Her new book, The Feminine Messiah: King David in the Image of the Shekhina in Kabbalistic Literature (2021) was published recently by Brill. A poet and editor of poetry, as well as translator of Russian poets into Hebrew, her book The World Has No Silence (2011) won the Rachel Negev Literature Award. Her The Soul is Moved was published in the Ritmus Poetry Series of the Hakibbutz Hameuhad Press in 2017. Her latest poetry book, Diamonds and Ashes, will be published by Pardes Press in 2022. Think better. Do better. Hartman scholars bring you the big Jewish ideas we need for this moment. Study with them in free virtual classes or watch the videos at: www.shalomhartman.org/ideasfortoday - www.youtube.com/@ShalomHartmanInstitute 00:00 Excerpt 00:48 Scholarship 09:09 Ruth’s Books 18:40 What is Birth? 24:17 Beauty 32:54 Psychoanalysis 41:23 Hope 48:10 A New Paradigm 56:30 Facing the Fear 59:47 Darkness and Light 1:07:04 Hope 1:09:16 Rebirth 1:11:09 Dreaming 1:12:43 Born again, and again 1:14:54 Not to be or to be? 1:16:32 Closing and opening Join Seekers: https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofu https://facebook.com/seekersofunity Support Seekers: https://www.patreon.com/seekers https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Moshe Idel, considered the world’s leading scholar of Jewish mysticism by many, joins us in conversation to discuss his unique relationship to the texts of Jewish mysticism, his psychedelics experiences and the role of mystical experiences in the study of mysticism, Jewish Mysticism’s relationship to other mystical traditions, ‘Unio Mystica’ in Judaism and the techniques employed to achieve it, the Divine Feminine and the centrality of Mitzvot in Kabbalah and lastly whether he finds any truth, meaning or beauty in mysticism. Join us for this momentous conversation. Moshe Idel is a Senior Research Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and the Max Cooper Professor of Jewish Thought at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Professor Idel has served as a visiting professor and researcher at universities and institutions worldwide, including Yale, Harvard, and Princeton universities in the United States, and Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris. Professor Idel’s book, Ben: Sonship and Jewish Mysticism, won the 2007 National Jewish Book Award, and was published by the Institute’s Kogod Library of Judaic Studies. In total, he has published over one hundred books, translated into a dozen different languages. Amongst a long list of professional achievements, Professor Idel was a recipient of the Rothschild Prize for Jewish studies in 2012, and was elected to the Israel Academy for Sciences and Humanities in 2006. In 1999, he became an Israel Prize laureate for excellent achievement in the field of Jewish philosophy. 00:00 Excerpt 00:33 Overview 00:53 Biographical 08:23 The Accidental Scholar 11:15 Reading Manuscripts 13:23 Meeting Scholem 17:03 New Perspectives 20:59 Documentation 22:15 The Enigma 27:54 Instability of Texts 32:26 ‘Phenomenological’ 37:28 Communicating with Kabbalists 39:03 Experiencing with the Mystics 40:35 Easy Experiences 41:39 Abulafia 48:11 Unio Mystica 52:04 Jewish Unio Mystica 53:47 Techniques 54:32 The Common 57:08 Whence the Drive? 1:03:00 Definition 1:02:32 Continuity 1:06:36 Hans Jonas 1:08:22 Traditionalism 1:09:10 Inner Readings 1:12:15 Divine Feminine 1:17:58 Mitzvot 1:19:48 Terrestrial Mysticism 1:21:25 Unique to Jewish Mysticism? 1:23:14 The Essence of Jewish Mysticism? 1:24:28 Italian Kabbalists 1:25:58 Perennialism & Eranos 1:30:29 Unity? 1:32:08 Beyond Particularism? 1:34:09 Truth? 1:36:49 Meaning? 1:38:42 Hasidism Ashkenaz 1:45:10 The Besht 1:47:36 Lightning Round 1:58:15 Jewish Mysticism and other Mysticism 2:03:36 Final Questions 2:05:14 Thank you 2:06:34 Beauty Join us: https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm https://facebook.com/seekersofunity https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofu https://www.seekersofunity.com Support us: patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU

Join us on a journey into the fascinating world of comparative religion. Join us as we explore the intersection between ethics and metaphysics, and the intricate relationship between meaning and mysticism. From the descriptive to the prescriptive, from the dangers to the rewards of interiorization, Professor Margolin's exploration of these concepts offers a unique perspective on the modern role of religion. Whether you're seeking deeper insights or pondering the meaning of mysticism, this conversation promises to be an intellectual and philosophical delight. Professor Ron Margolin is a Research Fellow of the Kogod Research Center at the Shalom Hartman Institute, with a doctorate in Jewish thought from Tel Aviv University. He teaches modern Jewish thought in the Department of Jewish Philosophy and Comparative Religion at Tel Aviv University. His publications include The Human Temple: Religious Interiorization and the Structuring of Inner Life in Early Hasidism (Hebrew, 2006). Source: https://www.hartman.org.il/person/ron-margolin/ Think better. Do better. Hartman scholars bring you the big Jewish ideas we need for this moment. Study with them in free virtual classes or watch the videos at: www.shalomhartman.org/ideasfortoday - www.youtube.com/@ShalomHartmanInstitute 00:00 Excerpt 00:41 Introducing Professor Margolin 01:37 Comparative Religion: Pitfalls and Benefits 07:05 William James and the Modern Role of Religion 14:27 The Humanistic Values Guiding Ron’s Research 17:43 A Question of Ethics 19:46 Can we have Ethics without Metaphysics? 22:31 The Descriptive to Prescriptive Leap 25:03 The Meaning of Meaning 37:30 The Meaning of Mysticism 1:04:09 Finding Meaning 1:10:40 Are you a Mystic? 1:13:12 The End of Ron’s Book 1:27:38 The Ends 1:40:16 A Process of Interiorization 1:44:59 The Dangers of Interiorization 1:50:59 Logic of Mysticism 1:59:27 Practicum Join us: https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm https://facebook.com/seekersofunity https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofu https://www.seekersofunity.com Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Cliffton, Steve, Billy, Jackie, Andrew, Josh, Glenn, Zv, George, Ivana, Keenan, Gab, John, Victoria, Casey, Joseph, Brad, Benjamin, Arin, jXaviErre, Margo, Gale, Eny, Kim, Michael, Kirk, Ron, Seth, Daniel, Raphael, Daniel, Jason, Sergio, Leila, Wael, Simona, Francis, Etty, Stephen, Arash, William, Michael, Matija, Timony, Vilijami, Stoney, El techo, Stephen, Ross, Ahmed, Alexander, Diceman, Hannah, Julian, Leo, Sim, Sultan, John, Joshua, Igor, Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre. Join them in supporting us: patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU