Meir Buzaglo is an Israeli philosopher and associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Meir Buzaglo | |
|---|---|
| מאיר בוזגלו | |
 | |
| Born | 1959 (age 66–67) Casablanca, Morocco |
| Occupations | Philosopher, academic |
| Known for | Philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of Judaism, concept expansion |
| Education | |
| Alma mater | Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
| Philosophical work | |
Notable works | The Logic of Concept Expansion (2001) Solomon Maimon: Monism, Skepticism, and Mathematics (2002) |
Meir Buzaglo (Hebrew: מאיר בוזגלו; born 1959) is an Israeli philosopher and associate professor in the Department of Philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He specializes in epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of language, and Jewish philosophy.[1]
He publishes in both Hebrew and English,[2][3] with some of his works translated into French.[4] He is particularly active in the renewal of Jewish liturgical poetry (piyyut),[5][6] in mathematics education reform, and in efforts to bridge the divide between secular and religious communities in Israel.[7] In 2023, he was awarded the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honour, one of Israel's highest civilian distinctions.[8]
Early life and education
editBorn in Casablanca, Morocco, Buzaglo is the son of Rabbi David Buzaglo, a renowned liturgical poet (paytan) and composer. He immigrated to Israel at the age of five and grew up in Kiryat Yam.
He earned a B.Sc. cum laude in mathematics, physics, and philosophy of science, followed by an M.Sc. cum laude in mathematics under the supervision of Menachem Magidor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He later completed his PhD in philosophy with a dissertation on the philosophy of mathematics of Salomon Maimon.
Academic career
editBuzaglo is an associate professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and also teaches at Shalem College.[9] His research focuses on the philosophy of logic, epistemology, metaphysics, and Jewish thought, bridging Western analytic philosophy with medieval and modern Jewish philosophy.
Philosophical works
editPhilosophy of Salomon Maimon
editIn 2002, Buzaglo published Solomon Maimon: Monism, Skepticism, and Mathematics (University of Pittsburgh Press). The book offers a reconstruction of Maimon's philosophy, emphasizing the central role of his philosophy of mathematics in understanding his response to Kant's quid juris question.[10]
Logic of concept expansion
editThe same year, he published The Logic of Concept Expansion with Cambridge University Press. In this work, Buzaglo develops a formal framework for the expansion of concepts, challenging traditional logical principles that prohibit such expansion. The book discusses relations to truth, meaning, reference, ontology, and analyzes the views of Kant, Frege, Wittgenstein, and Gödel.[11]
Philosophy of traditionalism and metaphysics
editBuzaglo has written extensively on Jewish traditionalism (masortiyut), seeking to define it positively as a creative cultural transmission rather than a mere midpoint between secularism and orthodoxy. His Hebrew books include A Language for the Faithful (2008) and Shema – A Metaphysical Study of the Shema Israel (2022), in which he develops a metaphysical interpretation of the oneness of God using biblical and rabbinic sources.
Public and cultural engagement
editBuzaglo is a prominent figure in the renewal of the piyyut (Jewish liturgical poetry) tradition in Israel and co-founded educational projects such as Invitation to Piyyut. He has worked to improve mathematics education, founded the Mayanot Institute, and participated in initiatives promoting social unity across Israel's religious-secular divide (including the Kinneret Charter).
In 2013, he was selected to light a torch during Israel's official Independence Day ceremony.
Awards
edit- 2013 – Torch lighter, Israel Independence Day ceremony
- 2023 – Israeli Presidential Medal of Honour
Selected publications
edit- The Logic of Concept Expansion (Cambridge University Press, 2001)
- Solomon Maimon: Monism, Skepticism, and Mathematics (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2002)
- Ad Nakhon Hayom (2007)
- Safa LaNe'emanim (2008)
- Shema (2022)
References
edit- ↑ "Prof. Meir Buzaglo". Department of Philosophy, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Buzaglo, Meir (2001). "The Logic of Concept Expansion". PhilPapers. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Buzaglo, Meir (2002). "Solomon Maimon: Monism, Skepticism, and Mathematics". PhilPapers. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Buzaglo, Meir (18 November 2025). "Libéralisme anti-religieux et fondamentalisme se nourrissent l'un de l'autre". Philitt (in French). Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "The Power of Song to Link Jewish World's East and West". Haaretz. 24 April 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "A Nation's Soul Is In Its Music". American Sephardi Federation. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Belfer, Israel (Winter 2011). "The Language of Tradition". Jewish Review of Books. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "Israel's Presidential Medal of Honor Presented to Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Profs. Mona Khoury and Meir Buzaglo". American Friends of the Hebrew University. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "Prof. Meir Buzaglo". Shalem College. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ Buzaglo, Meir (2002). Solomon Maimon: Monism, Skepticism, and Mathematics. University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 978-0-8229-4176-7.
- ↑ Buzaglo, Meir (2001). The Logic of Concept Expansion. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-64197-5.
Category:Israeli philosophers Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:Jewish philosophers Category:Philosophers of mathematics