Jacob Talmon : combining histories and presents / Amikam Nachmani.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Nachmani, Amikam.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Talmon, J. L. (Jacob Leib), 1916-1980.

Talmon, J. L.

History--Philosophy.

History.

Humanism.

History--Political aspects.

Universities and colleges--Philosophy.

Universities and colleges.

Universities and colleges--Political aspects.

Physical Description:

xiv, 314 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Manchester ; New York : Manchester University Press ; New York : distributed in the United States exclusively by Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.

Summary:

Jacob Talmon: Combining histories and presents is the first book-length account in English of Jacob Talmon (1916-80) on humanism, the university and society, and the ideal role of professors and scientists. Talmon, Professor of Modern History at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was listed among the twenty most influential historians of the twentieth century. He is best remembered for The Origins of Totalitarian Democracy (1952) and Political Messianism (1960). This book is not a biography but a discourse on a unique mind. Its points of departure are four seminal Talmonic works: his exchange of views with Oxford historian Arnold Toynbee following the 1967 Six Day War; a 10,000-word treatise "The Idea of the University"; his public admonitions to David Ben-Gurion over the Lavon Affair; and his 1980 open letter to Menachem Begin, containing his prophecy of unending conflict in the Middle East, as well as his ideas about Judaism gleaned from various writings. Talmon believed that intellectuals and historians should not just record history but, as he did, interpret and disseminate the wisdom of history's lessons to the public and political leaders, with the aim of shaping events before they become history. The changing role of the university, the decline of the liberal arts in favour of technology and the social sciences and the displacement of humanism by the market economy were of particular concern. Amikam Nachmani's book demonstrates that intellectual history need not be purely the province of intellectuals; his keen turn of phrase and insights into the future captivate minds and will return readers to the enjoyment of a 'good book'. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 On the university 18

2 On Judaism and Jewishness: A sharp critique and outstanding praise 33

3 On 'the idea of the university' 59

4 On the 'universal empire of spirit' to the 'the republics of knowledge' 76

5 On the German intellectual spirit and the modern university 87

6 On the university and democracy 103

7 On political involvement: From the Lavon affair to McCarthyism and beyond 134

8 On reshaping the university for the twenty-first century 160

9 Three historians, one conflict: Jacob Talmon, Arnold Toynbee and Menahem Begin, and the Arab-Israeli Dispute 199

Part 1 Talmon and Toynbee 199

Part 2 Talmon and Menahem Begin 237.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [290]-306) and index.

ISBN:

9780719085727

0719085721

OCLC:

793688768