Faith in Academia: How One Professor Changed the Game

In 2017, a conference on Jewish faith was held at the University of Haifa. Those familiar with academic conferences—and academic approaches in general—know that in such settings, faith is treated as an object: what are its causes, its consequences, its historical development? The research does not address the possibility of its truth but rather analyzes it as one would analyze various and diverse phenomena.

This atmosphere quickly changed when Professor Samuel Lebens took the podium. His lecture, which focused on the probability and rationality of religion, proposed treating religious faith as a real and legitimate option deserving of serious consideration, not merely as an object to analyze. At the University of Haifa, this approach remains uncommon...

However, Lebens has spoken and written on this subject extensively before, starting at a 2015 conference at the University of Washington and in several published articles where he argued that Jewish tradition is not just folklore but carries a claim to truth worthy of discussion and consideration. In one article where he reviews his work, he demands that Judaism be presented in academia not just as a story to be researched but as a legitimate proposition, no less than other accepted approaches today. He writes: "A generation of philosophers has risen, offering serious justifications—peer-reviewed—to their views. Their work demonstrates how a scientifically oriented scholar, who meticulously uses logic, can present a reason to believe in the God of the Tanakh... It was in this context that I published my first book on Jewish philosophy: 'The Principles of Judaism'. It's my attempt to express and explore the main principles of Orthodox Judaism, in which I believe. Upon which claims is my faith commitment based? How can these claims be preserved in light of 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 in the marketplace of ideas."

Lebens essentially argues that the claim to the truth of Judaism is not an assertion by rabbis or a forced belief by the religious. It is a serious claim that deserves to be heard both in academia, in peer-reviewed articles, and as a legitimate opinion on par with others.

In 2022, Lebens published another book: "A Guide for the Jewish Undecided". The book's description reads: "This book brings philosophy, science, and innovative decision theory to the discussion of Jewish tradition's validity, proving that today Jews have clear reasons to embrace Judaism and its methods. Furthermore, this choice is the most logical way for them to take moral responsibility for their lives."