On January 18, 2022, the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies hosted a virtual talk with Lilach Ben Zvi, their 2021 Academic Visitor at the Institute on "Neither Private, Nor Political: The Public Sphere in Yeshayahu Leibowitz's Theory."
The discussion was moderated by the Institute Director, Dr. Csaba Nikolenyi.
"The idea of the public sphere is central in the discourse regarding the image of the modern state. In political philosophy, it is common to distinguish between the public sphere and the private one and draw its boundaries as a public-political space. This sphere is common to all and belongs to nobody, and everybody wants to participate in it. Drawing on the philosophy of Yeshayahu Leibowitz, I present the public as a third sphere, the outcome of a constant civil struggle, that is distinct from both the private and the political. I argue that this re-thinking of the public sphere as separate from the political enables us to re-observe the ability of the state to create civil consent and the citizens to collaborate around shared values." - Lilach Ben Zvi
Lilach is completing her doctorate at the University of Haifa. Focusing on the political theory of Yeshayahu Leibowitz, Lilach will examine the nature of the public sphere in Israel and the way it can serve as a battleground for different and contradictory world views about Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. Her work contributes to discussions about the meaning of the public and private spheres as well as the promotion of an essential and active civil society in Israel.
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