Recommend Book on Jewish Philosophy contrasting Secular philosophies

Question

BSD

I am looking for a contemporary book with Jewish philosophies and how it relates to other philosophies throughout history whether comparing or contrasting. Not comparative religion books but books from the Orthodox Jewish Perspective. For example the Guide for the Perplexed would be an example. Psychology is also welcomed. Does anyone know of any books that deals with this topic that is contemporary?

Answer 1

Any academic or secular book (not written for a religious Jewish audience) will discuss Jewish philosophy from the perspective of the discipline of philosophy as a whole. You can start with this article on Jewish philosophy from the Jewish Virtual Library, which is pretty good, and go on to read books on specific areas of interest.

There are several books on Medieval Jewish Philosophy with an academic bend, which means that they discuss the Jewish philosophers in context of general philosophical trends of their era. Books of this nature include those of Isaac Husik, Colette Sirat and Raphael Jospe (in increasing order of what I'd recommend). Books that cover more than just the medieval period include The Cambridge History of Jewish Philosophy (2 vol), the Routledge History of Jewish Philosophy, and--the absolute best of them all--Eliezer Schweid's five volume work (though he covers all of medieval philosophy in one volume)

Answer 2

Derech Emuna from the Tzemach Tzedek is that type of Sefer.

Answer 3

You can try looking into the Kuzari, it might be what you're looking for (the Kuzari and Rambam's Guide for the Perplexed are often compared as two of the classic texts on Jewish philosophy). I would recommend the Feldheim edition by Rabbi N. Daniel Korobkin.