Kenneth Hart Green has been teaching in the Department since 1987. As an undergraduate at the University of Toronto in the 1970s, he was introduced to Jewish philosophy by Emil Fackenheim. Green pursued graduate studies at Brandeis University and received his Ph.D. in 1989 supervised by Marvin Fox. Green’s major research interest has been the critical exploration of the thought of Leo Strauss, whom he regards as one of the most significant Jewish thinkers of the 20th century. Green’s two new books on Leo Strauss and Maimonides will be published by the University of Chicago Press in 2012. He is also series editor for a new SUNY Press series on “The Thought and Legacy of Leo Strauss.” In addition, he has published essays on Judah Halevi, Moses Maimonides, Baruch Spinoza, Moses Mendelssohn, Franz Rosenzweig, Gershom Scholem, and Emil Fackenheim. He is presently finishing a book on Fackenheim’s thought.
Areas of Interest
- Jewish thought and philosophy
- philosophy of religion
- Judaism in the modern age
- political philosophy
Primary Teaching
- History of Judaism (ancient, medieval and modern)
- Jewish thought and philosophy
Latest Selected Publications
- Leo Strauss on Maimonides: The Complete Writings (University of Chicago Press, 2012)
- Leo Strauss and the Rediscovery of Maimonides (University of Chicago Press, 2012)
- “What S.Y. Agnon Taught Gershom Scholem about Jewish History,” in Encountering the Medieval in Modern Jewish Thought (Brill, 2012)
- “Leo Strauss, the ‘New Thinking,’ and To Mend the World” (1984), by Emil L. Fackenheim, with editor’s introduction and annotation (Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy, 2012)
- “Spinoza’s Defense of the Bible,” in The Companionship of Books (Lexington Books, 2011)
“Leo Strauss’s Challenge to Emil Fackenheim: Heidegger, Radical Historicism, and Diabolical Evil,” in Emil L. Fackenheim: Philosopher, Theologian, Jew (Brill, 2008)
Other Information (Recent Accomplishments and Awards)
1. Tikvah Fund, Publication Grant re Leo Strauss on Maimonides: The Complete Writings (2011-12)
2. SSHRC Standard Research Grant (2003-06)
Contact Information
Associate Professor
Department and Centre for the Study of Religion
BA (Toronto), MA, PhD (Brandeis).
Address: University College F104
Tel: 416-978-8116
E-mail: Kenneth.green@utoronto.ca