University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 12-2013 Martin Buber's For the Sake of Heaven: Prophetic Education Joseph Lee Hall University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons Recommended Citation Hall, Joseph Lee, "Martin Buber's For the Sake of Heaven: Prophetic Education. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2013. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/2575 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Joseph Lee Hall entitled "Martin Buber's For the Sake of Heaven: Prophetic Education." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Education. Barbara Thayer-Bacon, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Joy DeSensi, Diana Moyer, Scott Ellison Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) Martin Buber’s For the Sake of Heaven Education as Prophetic A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Joseph Lee Hall December 2013 Copyright © 2013 by Joseph L. Hall All rights reserved. ii DEDICATION To Charles, my father, who taught me to pay attention To Kathryn, my mother, who taught me to care To my nine brothers and sisters, who taught me how to relate Judy Steven Glenda Mary Paul Charles Phillip Kathy Carol Honor your father[s] and your mother[s], that your days may be long. Genesis iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the contribution of my academic advisor, Dr. Barbara Thayer-Bacon. She has been to me like one pointing to a way, in whose debt I will always remain. I’ve gathered strength for the journey in her words of wisdom and encouragement. Thanks are also due to Drs. Joy DeSensi, Diana Moyer, and Scott Ellison who were patient and caring, advising me along the way without complaint. It is my deepest wish that their kindnesses will return home to them in manifold ways. The debt I can never repay I owe to Dr. Martin Buber, whose words of wisdom have brought me through this project and spur me on. I wish I could speak of these things with my parents and with five of my siblings, now deceased. I would thank them for making the journey sweet and reasonable, well worth the living. iv ABSTRACT The author proposes to examine the ontological and epistemological foundations of Martin Buber’s novel, For the Sake of Heaven , in this philosophical study. He purposes to use what he finds to address questions regarding the ways that educational communities often ignore the underlying ontological narratives that are important to communities. After describing Martin Buber’s idea of dialogical relations, the author explores dialogical relations as a current running through the novel. Using the model of the epistemic commentary, he describes the Hasidic community of the character known as the prophet in the novel. Themes of ontology and epistemology are developed. The author then proceeds to consider some possible applications of Buber’s ontology and epistemology that seem to ground the prophet’s community. Here the author considers the roles of teacher and student with ample characterization of the kinds of relations that might develop in educational communities taking on the ontological and epistemological assumptions of the prophet’s community. The author then brings to the discussion the critiques of Buber’s work: Emmanuel Levinas’ critique of the Buberian idea of symmetry in relationships, Karl Barth’s epistemological criticism of Buber’s novel, and some logically fallacious arguments against Buber’s work in the novel. The author concludes his philosophical research of Buber’s For the Sake of Heaven by paying attention to his own developing relationship with the text. Recommendations regarding future work, focusing on themes of the unintentional, on the development of ontological and epistemological grounding in educational communities, particularly in curriculum work, are made. v Table of Contents CHAPTER I Considering Martin Buber ......................................................................................... 1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 Situating the Author .......................................................................................................................... 1 Why Martin Buber .............................................................................................................................. 3 Background on Buber ....................................................................................................................... 7 Between Man and Man ..................................................................................................................... 9 Beyond Speech ............................................................................................................................. 10 Beyond the Erotic ........................................................................................................................ 11 Beyond Ideological Impasse ................................................................................................... 11 Three Ways of Receiving Others ........................................................................................... 12 Signs of Address ........................................................................................................................... 14 Beyond Mysticism ....................................................................................................................... 15 Beyond Morality .......................................................................................................................... 17 “Monologue” as Dialogue ......................................................................................................... 19 Thought as Dialogue .................................................................................................................. 21 Eros as Dialogue .......................................................................................................................... 22 Warnings ........................................................................................................................................ 23 For the Sake of Heaven .................................................................................................................. 24 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 26 CHAPTER II For the Sake of Heaven ............................................................................................ 28 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 28 Historical Context ............................................................................................................................ 28 Historical Characters ...................................................................................................................... 29 Buber’s Narrative ............................................................................................................................ 30 Political Events ............................................................................................................................. 30 The Prophet’s Ontology ................................................................................................................. 33 The Existence of God .................................................................................................................. 34 Teshuvah ........................................................................................................................................ 36 The Shechinah .............................................................................................................................. 39 The Unintentional ....................................................................................................................... 41 Righteousness Vs. Having Rights .......................................................................................... 43 The Prophet’s Epistemology ....................................................................................................... 45 vi Knowledge as Response ........................................................................................................... 45 Knowledge as Limited ............................................................................................................... 50 Knowledge as Suffering ...........................................................................................................