1733-5760 Nachman Krochmal and the Argument from Design  Allinson Robert Elliott author Soka University of America 03rr7xb36 Correspondence to: Robert Elliott Allinson rallinson@soka.edu 15 03 2018 Volume 15 2017 127 139 Copyright © 2018 2018 <div id="cke_pastebin" style="text-align: left;">For the nineteenth century Jewish Galician philosopher, Nachman Krochmal (1785-1840), the argument from design is the most powerful argument in Jewish literature. This paper is separated into seven parts, each of which aims to give the reader a better understanding of the argument from design. In each part, the argument is compared and contrasted with other arguments for and against the existence of G-d from classical Western philosophers up until current writers. Historical and contemporary objections to the argument from design are shown to be based upon philosophical misunderstandings. The thesis of this article is that the argument from design remains the most powerful argument for the existence of G-d. In addition, in contrast to other arguments for the existence of G-d, such as the ontological arguments, it is the metaphysical argument that is closest to the nature of the G-d of worship of the Jewish religion.</div> 1 Amir, Y. (2003), The Perplexity of Our Time: Rabbi Nachman Krochmal and Modern Jewish Existence, Modern Judaism 23, no. 3: 264-301. 2 Banbaji, A. (2012), Two Paradigms of Aesthetics in Haskalah Literary Criticism: From Satanov to Lebensohn, Hebrew Studies 53: 143-177 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/23344445]. 3 Ginzberg, L., Stern, D. (2003), Legends of the Jews, Volumes 1-2 (2), Dulles, US: Jewish Publication Society. Web. 4 Goldstein, R. (2010), 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction, New York: Random House, Inc. 5 Green, A., Stump, E. (2015), Hidden Divinity and Religious Belief: New Perspectives, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 6 Greenberg, G. (2011), Emunot: Jewish Philosophy and Kabbalah: Modern Jewish Thinkers: From Mendelssohn to Rosenzweig, Brighton, MA, US: Academic Studies Press. Web. 7 Harris, J. (1993), Nachman Krochmal: Guiding the Perplexed of the Modern Age, (Modern Jewish Masters), New York: NYU Press. 8 Kant, I. (2007), Critique of Judgment, trans. J.C. Meredith, ed. N. Walker, New York: Oxford University Press. 9 Kant, I. (1998), Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason, trans. A. Wood, G. Di Giovanni, Cambridge, NY: Cambridge University Press. 10 Katz, S.T. (2007), Wrestling with God: Jewish Theological Responses during and after the Holocaust, Cary, GB: Oxford University Press, USA. 11 Sacks, E. (2016), Law, Ethics, and the Needs of History: Mendelssohn, Krochmal, and Moral Philosophy, Journal of Religious Ethics 44: 352-377. 12 Schumacher-Brunhes, M. (2012), Enlightenment Jewish Style: The Haskalah Movement in Europe, Mainz: Leibniz Institute of European History URL: http://ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/european-networks/jewish-networks/marie-schumacher-brunhes-enlightenment-jewish-style-the-haskalah-movement-in-europe.  13 Silber, J. (2012), Kant’s Ethics: The Good, Freedom, and the Will, Boston: De Gruyter. [http://library.soka.edu:80/record=b1583483~S0] 14 Spinoza, B. de (1891), The Chief Works of Benedict de Spinoza, trans. R.H.M. Elwes, London: George Bell &amp; Sons. Web. 15 Spinoza, B. (1951), Ethics: Ethica Ordine Geometrico Demonstrata, trans. R.H.M. Elwes, Auckland, NZ: The Floating Press. Web. 16 Spinoza, B. (1985), Appendix of The Collected Works of Spinoza, Volume I, trans. E. Curley, Princeton: Princeton University Press. 17 Wolf, A. (1905), Dr. J.L. Landau’s ‘Nachman Krochmal’, The Jewish Quarterly Review 17, no. 3: 592-594. doi:10.2307/1450989.