The Philosophy of Anti-Semitism: Metaphysics, Epistemology and Theology

This chapter surveys multiple accounts of what anti-Semitism is. I call this the metaphysics of anti-Semitism and argue in favor of a ‘family-resemblance’ account. The epistemology of anti-Semitism asks how we can know when anti-Semitism is occurring. Here I argue that victims of anti-Semitism are typically subjected to a type of ‘epistemic injustice’ and that contemporary modes of thought are calibrated so as to cause observers to miss what would otherwise be clear cases of anti-Semitism. Regarding the theology of anti-Semitism, I ask whether the existence and history of anti-Semitism pose any special sort of problem to Christian, Muslim or Jewish thought.