Jonathan Israel | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jonathan Irvine Israel 22 January 1946 (age 78) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Academic, historian |
| Awards | Wolfson History Prize Fellow of the British Academy Leo Gershoy Award Order of the Netherlands Lion Dr A.H. Heineken Prize Benjamin Franklin Medal PROSE Award |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | Queens' College, Cambridge University of Oxford |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | Newcastle University (1970–1972) University of Hull (1972–1974) University College London (1974–2001) Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (2001–present) University of Amsterdam (2007) |
| Main interests | Dutch history Age of Enlightenment European Jews Spinoza |
Jonathan Irvine Israel FBA (born 22 January 1946) is a British historian specialising in Dutch history, the Age of Enlightenment, Spinoza's Philosophy and European Jews. Israel was appointed as Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey, in January 2001 and retired in July 2016.[1] He was previously Professor of Dutch History and Institutions at the University College London.
In recent years, Israel has focused his attention on a multi-volume history of the Age of Enlightenment. He contrasts two camps. The "radical Enlightenment" was founded on a rationalist materialism first articulated by Spinoza. Standing in opposition was a "moderate Enlightenment" which he sees as weakened by its belief in God.