Omri Boehm’s passionate appeal for ‘Radical Universalism’

“An invigorating and timely new book . . . [Boehm] has persuaded me that universalism could be more profoundly transformative than anything offered by the self-styled 'radicals' on either end of the political spectrum.” —Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times RADICAL UNIVERSALISM BEYOND IDENTITY Omri Boehm The entire political spectrum of our day, from right to left, reflects the politics of identity. The right speaks of blood and soil, of homeland; the left of gender and race. To the observant eye, the similarity between the holders of the two positions stands out as much as their animosity. And as to the purported humanism and universalism of the liberal center? It has shrunk to an empty husk. Far from recognizing and proclaiming a fundamental duty to humanity, contemporary liberalism now chiefly serves to protect the right of the individual citizen to turn a deaf ear to that call. Omri Boehm's Radical Universalism: Beyond Identity offers new readings of three controversial texts that have shaped the concept of modern humanism: the Declaration of Independence, Immanuel Kant's "What Is Enlightenment?," and the biblical story of the Binding of Isaac. Through these texts—"monuments of a tradition that stands near to us but...in which the moral idea of humanity...was still living"—Boehm grapples with the ideological failures of the moment while presenting a powerful plea to place humanistic universalism at the heart of political life. BUY THE BOOK   For three days only, Radical Universalism is available at 25% off along with Omri Boehm’s previous book, Haifa Republic: HAIFA REPUBLIC A DEMOCRATIC FUTURE FOR ISRAEL Omri Boehm BUY THE BOOK You are receiving this message because you signed up for email newsletters from NYRB. You can choose the types of mailings you wish to receive: Update preferences   New York Review Books 207 East 32nd Street New York, NY 10016-6305 Not a subscriber? Sign up for our newsletter here. Unsubscribe