By Carlo Strenger
Professor Carlo Strenger was born in Basel, Switzerland, trained in philosophy and psychology and received his PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
He currently teaches at the psychology department of Tel Aviv University, a member of the Institute of Existential Psychoanalysis, Zurich and of the Permanent Monitoring Panel on Terrorism of the World Federation of Scientists.
Sometimes it seems to me that the State of Israel is condemned to re- enact much of European history. One of processes that Israel has not completed is secularization; and we are forced to go through this process that took Europe centuries, in a few decades. I will argue that full secularization of the state is in the interest of religious Jews no less than it is desired by non-believers, and I call upon religious Jews to join the process of secularization.
Israel’s history, like that of Europe, has been determined in many ways by the tension between two conceptions of authority, revealed truth and critical inquiry. The conception of revealed truth has dominated most of human history: truth and values are based on a source that lies in the past, and whose validity is absolute. This is the basic structure of traditional religions that derive their authority from a presumed revelation in a mythical past.
The conception of critical inquiry has emerged in a series of enlightenment movements starting in India in the 6th century BCE and ancient Greece in the 5th century BCE, and gained historical prominence in Europe from the 17th century onwards. It denies that there are authorities that must be followed blindly. Instead it puts its trust in the combined effort of human beings to gradually inch closer to truth and justice.
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Strenger’s research focuses on the topics of the development of individuality and the impact of Globalization on personal identity and he frequently lectures and conducts seminars in Europe and the U.S. on his topics of expertise. He has published five books including Individuality, the Impossible Project and The Designed Self, and numerous scientific articles.
In recent years, Strenger has felt compelled to take a more active stance on issues that matter to him, primarily the defense of individual liberty, the intellectual level of public discourse, and the striving for a sane solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He regularly voices his views through op-ed contributions in Haaretz and Britain‘s The Guardian.