IV.1. La philosophie et la Shoah : le chaînon manquant

Abstract

The claim argued here is that philosophy as a profession has largely ignored the Shoah as a significant historical event with implications for such central philosophical issues as theories of human nature, the status of ethical judgment and the epistemic grounds of knowledge. There have been exceptions to this “missing link” but this has been a distinctively minority voice compared to other philosophical writings on the same issues. A speculative explanation is offered for this “Shoah avoidance.” Also presented is further evidence of the Shoah’s philosophical relevance through its unspoken presence in such flourishing philosophical research areas as studies of group rights (and rights more generally) and of medical ethics. Both of these are directly, but here only covertly, related to issues raised by the events of the Shoah.