Faith in Academia: How One Professor Changed the Game

Faith in the Academic Spotlight

In 2017, a conference on Jewish belief took place at the University of Haifa. Those familiar with academic conferences know that faith is often treated as an object of study: What are its causes? What are its implications? What is the history of its development? Research typically does not engage with the possibility of its truth but instead analyzes it, much like any other phenomenon.

This atmosphere was quickly disrupted when Professor Samuel Levinas took the stage. His lecture on the plausibility and rationality of faith presented religious belief as a realistic and genuine option deserving serious consideration. Rather than analyzing it as an object, he sought to examine whether faith is indeed logical, just, and true. At the University of Haifa, this approach was still groundbreaking.

A History of Thoughtful Engagement

Levinas had been developing these ideas long before 2017. He first presented them at a Washington University conference in 2015 and explored them in several published articles. In these works, he argued that Jewish tradition is not merely folklore but carries claims to truths worthy of discussion and recognition.

In one article reviewing his work, Levinas insisted that Judaism should be presented in academia not as a story for researchers but as a genuine proposal, on par with other accepted perspectives. He writes: "A generation of philosophers has emerged that has presented serious justifications, having undergone peer review, for their views. Their work demonstrates how a researcher with a scientific orientation, who knows how to use logic carefully, can present an argument for belief in the God of the Bible. This is the context in which I published my first book on Jewish philosophy: Principles of Judaism. This is my attempt to articulate and explore the core principles of Orthodox Judaism in which I believe. What claims underpin my faith commitment? How can these claims be sustained against what we have learned from contemporary biology, archaeology, cosmology, metaphysics, and secular ethics? My hope was to create a voice, however small, for Judaism as a living body of thought with its unique perspective in the world of academic philosophy and the marketplace of ideas."

Judaism as a Serious Claim

Levinas emphasizes that the claim to the truth of Judaism is not merely a statement from rabbis or a coerced belief of the religious. It is a serious claim that deserves to be heard in academia, published in peer-reviewed articles, and considered a legitimate opinion on par with other perspectives.

In 2022, Levinas published another book, A Guide for the Jewish Dilettante, describing it as follows: "This book brings philosophy, science, and innovative decision theory into discussion regarding the validity of Jewish tradition, proving that Jews today have clear reasons to embrace Judaism and its practices. Moreover, this choice is the most logical way for them to take moral responsibility for their lives."