On Sacrifice

by Moshe Halbertal

Publisher:

Princeton University Press

, 2015

Overview

The idea and practice of sacrifice play a profound role in religion, ethics, and politics. In this brief book, philosopher Moshe Halbertal explores the meaning and implications of sacrifice, developing a theory of sacrifice as an offering and examining the relationship between sacrifice, ritual, violence, and love. On Sacrifice also looks at the place of self-sacrifice within ethical life and at the complex role of sacrifice as both a noble and destructive political ideal.

In the religious domain, Halbertal argues, sacrifice is an offering, a gift given in the context of a hierarchical relationship. As such it is vulnerable to rejection, a trauma at the root of both ritual and violence. An offering is also an ambiguous gesture torn between a genuine expression of gratitude and love and an instrument of exchange, a tension that haunts the practice of sacrifice.

In the moral and political domains, sacrifice is tied to the idea of self-transcendence, in which an individual sacrifices his or her self-interest for the sake of higher values and commitments. While self-sacrifice has great potential moral value, it can also be used to justify the most brutal acts. Halbertal attempts to unravel the relationship between self-sacrifice and violence, arguing that misguided self-sacrifice is far more problematic than exaggerated self-love. In his exploration of the positive and negative dimensions of self-sacrifice, Halbertal also addresses the role of past sacrifice in obligating future generations and in creating a bond for political associations, and considers the function of the modern state as a sacrificial community.

Key Features

• Explores the meaning and implications of sacrifice.
• Looks at the place of self-sacrifice within ethical life and at the complex role of sacrifice.
• Addresses the role of past sacrifice in obligating future generations and in creating a bond for political associations.

Contents

• Introduction
• Part I Sacrificing to
• Offering, Rejection, and Ritual
• Sacrifice, Exchange, and Love
• Sacrifice and Its Substitutes
• Part II Sacrificing for
• Self-Transcendence and Violence
• War and the Sacrificial Logic
• Sacrifice and the Political Bond
• The State and the Sacrificial Stage
• Conclusion

Praise for On Sacrifice

This is a brilliant book.

—Robert A. Segal, Times Higher Education

If one of the lessons of the Biblical and Midrashic accounts of the giving of the Torah at Sinai is that revelations abound in small venues, then this is an apt metaphor for this small, fascinating, and brilliant work by noted scholar and philosopher Moshe Halbertal. Covering issues of sacrifice to and sacrifice for, Halbertal takes the reader on a thought-provoking journey from the biblical story of Cain and Abel through the binding of Isaac and into modern times, with reflections on the meaning of individual and national sacrifice as it manifests itself in military actions and wars conducted by both Israel and the United States.

—William Liss-Levinson, Jewish Book World

An exacting and lucidly written narrative.

—Choice

Product Details

• Title: On Sacrifice
• Author: Moshe Halbertal
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Print Publication Date: 2015
• Pages: 152
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• ISBNs: 9780691163307, 9781400842353, 0691163308, 1400842352
• Resource ID: LLS:ONSACRIFICE
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-09-25T22:07:36Z

About Moshe Halbertal

Moshe Halbertal is professor of philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, and the Gruss Professor at New York University Law School. He is the author of People of the Book and the coauthor (with Avishai Margalit) of Idolatry.