Eli Friedlander is Laura Schwarz-Kipp Professor of Modern Philosophy at Tel Aviv University. His previous books include Walter Benjamin: A Philosophical Portrait (2015).

"Friedlander's interpretative lens offers his readers a genuinely illuminating and deeply convincing way of appreciating both the local detail and the overarching significance of Benjamin's texts."—Stephen Mulhall, University of Oxford "Friedlander's highly original study resituates the interpretation and evaluation of Benjamin's immensely fecund work within the context of the most advanced contemporary thinking on first and second nature. The book will have a considerable impact across the humanistic disciplines."—David E. Wellbery, University of Chicago "Friedlander succeeds beautifully and convincingly in presenting Benjamin's seemingly heterogeneous oeuvre as a coherent philosophical effort. Timely reading for philosophers, Benjamin scholars, and all readers interested in the question of the human as a life-form in trying times."—Eva Geulen, Leibniz-Zentrum für Literatur- und Kulturforschung "Friedlander's book resembles a work of origami, comprised of separate pieces folded together to create the illusion of a single, intricate form. And, just as complex origami sometimes requires glue, Friedlander's distinctive readings of Benjamin turn out to be an essential adhesive. In particular, the insights he offers about Benjamin's influences, from Schopenhauer to Goethe, contextualize the philosopher's work as only retrospective critique can do."—Sarah Moorhouse, Los Angeles Review of Books "[Walter Benjamin and the Idea of Natural History] may allow us to reread Benjamin with new clarity and exactness and... displays Friedlander's great attention to detail and rigorous scholarship."—Michael Villanova, Contemporary Political Theory "There has never been any doubt about the brilliance of Benjamin's individual works.... Yet heretofore no one has undertaken to make the corpus cohere. This is Friedlander's task, and the result is revelatory and reinvigorating.... Highly recommended."—M. Uebel, CHOICE "This book represents an important contribution to the new wave of Benjamin scholarship.... The idea of natural history emerges in Friedlander's treatment as an important theme able to bring together otherwise disparate topics and thereby shed light on their place in Benjamin's thinking."—Alison Ross, European Journal of Philosophy "Friedlander's newest book, titled Walter Benjamin and the Idea of Natural History, goes to show not only that he is still not convinced Benjamin is not a philosopher, but that he himself has become even more convincing and effective in proving the contrary. Moving further and bolder along the lines drawn in the previous study, in this book he sets upon a reconstruction of a fully-fledged philosophical project that he identifies within the whole body of Benjamin's work."—Adam Lipszyc, New Benjamin Studies

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Natural in the HumanPart I: Nature in Language1. God, Nature, and Man in Language2. Naming Beauty3. The Life and Afterlife of Words4. The Life of FormsPart II: Life and Fate5. The Guilt and Innocence of Life6. Fate, Redemption, and Hope in Love7. Myth, Law, and Life in CommonPart III: Body and Corporeality8. The Language of the Body and the Body of Language9. Acting NaturallyPart IV: Primal History10. "From the Pagan Context of Nature into the Jewish Context of History"11. Matters of Memory12. First and Second Nature in ArtPart V: The Image of the Contingent13. Distorted LifeNotesBibliographyIndex

Eli Friedlander is Laura Schwarz-Kipp Professor of Modern Philosophy at Tel Aviv University. His previous books include Walter Benjamin: A Philosophical Portrait (2015).

"Friedlander's interpretative lens offers his readers a genuinely illuminating and deeply convincing way of appreciating both the local detail and the overarching significance of Benjamin's texts."—Stephen Mulhall, University of Oxford "Friedlander's highly original study resituates the interpretation and evaluation of Benjamin's immensely fecund work within the context of the most advanced contemporary thinking on first and second nature. The book will have a considerable impact across the humanistic disciplines."—David E. Wellbery, University of Chicago "Friedlander succeeds beautifully and convincingly in presenting Benjamin's seemingly heterogeneous oeuvre as a coherent philosophical effort. Timely reading for philosophers, Benjamin scholars, and all readers interested in the question of the human as a life-form in trying times."—Eva Geulen, Leibniz-Zentrum für Literatur- und Kulturforschung "Friedlander's book resembles a work of origami, comprised of separate pieces folded together to create the illusion of a single, intricate form. And, just as complex origami sometimes requires glue, Friedlander's distinctive readings of Benjamin turn out to be an essential adhesive. In particular, the insights he offers about Benjamin's influences, from Schopenhauer to Goethe, contextualize the philosopher's work as only retrospective critique can do."—Sarah Moorhouse, Los Angeles Review of Books "[Walter Benjamin and the Idea of Natural History] may allow us to reread Benjamin with new clarity and exactness and... displays Friedlander's great attention to detail and rigorous scholarship."—Michael Villanova, Contemporary Political Theory "There has never been any doubt about the brilliance of Benjamin's individual works.... Yet heretofore no one has undertaken to make the corpus cohere. This is Friedlander's task, and the result is revelatory and reinvigorating.... Highly recommended."—M. Uebel, CHOICE "This book represents an important contribution to the new wave of Benjamin scholarship.... The idea of natural history emerges in Friedlander's treatment as an important theme able to bring together otherwise disparate topics and thereby shed light on their place in Benjamin's thinking."—Alison Ross, European Journal of Philosophy "Friedlander's newest book, titled Walter Benjamin and the Idea of Natural History, goes to show not only that he is still not convinced Benjamin is not a philosopher, but that he himself has become even more convincing and effective in proving the contrary. Moving further and bolder along the lines drawn in the previous study, in this book he sets upon a reconstruction of a fully-fledged philosophical project that he identifies within the whole body of Benjamin's work."—Adam Lipszyc, New Benjamin Studies

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Natural in the HumanPart I: Nature in Language1. God, Nature, and Man in Language2. Naming Beauty3. The Life and Afterlife of Words4. The Life of FormsPart II: Life and Fate5. The Guilt and Innocence of Life6. Fate, Redemption, and Hope in Love7. Myth, Law, and Life in CommonPart III: Body and Corporeality8. The Language of the Body and the Body of Language9. Acting NaturallyPart IV: Primal History10. "From the Pagan Context of Nature into the Jewish Context of History"11. Matters of Memory12. First and Second Nature in ArtPart V: The Image of the Contingent13. Distorted LifeNotesBibliographyIndex

Eli Friedlander is Laura Schwarz-Kipp Professor of Modern Philosophy at Tel Aviv University. His previous books include Walter Benjamin: A Philosophical Portrait (2015).

"Friedlander's interpretative lens offers his readers a genuinely illuminating and deeply convincing way of appreciating both the local detail and the overarching significance of Benjamin's texts."—Stephen Mulhall, University of Oxford "Friedlander's highly original study resituates the interpretation and evaluation of Benjamin's immensely fecund work within the context of the most advanced contemporary thinking on first and second nature. The book will have a considerable impact across the humanistic disciplines."—David E. Wellbery, University of Chicago "Friedlander succeeds beautifully and convincingly in presenting Benjamin's seemingly heterogeneous oeuvre as a coherent philosophical effort. Timely reading for philosophers, Benjamin scholars, and all readers interested in the question of the human as a life-form in trying times."—Eva Geulen, Leibniz-Zentrum für Literatur- und Kulturforschung "Friedlander's book resembles a work of origami, comprised of separate pieces folded together to create the illusion of a single, intricate form. And, just as complex origami sometimes requires glue, Friedlander's distinctive readings of Benjamin turn out to be an essential adhesive. In particular, the insights he offers about Benjamin's influences, from Schopenhauer to Goethe, contextualize the philosopher's work as only retrospective critique can do."—Sarah Moorhouse, Los Angeles Review of Books "[Walter Benjamin and the Idea of Natural History] may allow us to reread Benjamin with new clarity and exactness and... displays Friedlander's great attention to detail and rigorous scholarship."—Michael Villanova, Contemporary Political Theory "There has never been any doubt about the brilliance of Benjamin's individual works.... Yet heretofore no one has undertaken to make the corpus cohere. This is Friedlander's task, and the result is revelatory and reinvigorating.... Highly recommended."—M. Uebel, CHOICE "This book represents an important contribution to the new wave of Benjamin scholarship.... The idea of natural history emerges in Friedlander's treatment as an important theme able to bring together otherwise disparate topics and thereby shed light on their place in Benjamin's thinking."—Alison Ross, European Journal of Philosophy "Friedlander's newest book, titled Walter Benjamin and the Idea of Natural History, goes to show not only that he is still not convinced Benjamin is not a philosopher, but that he himself has become even more convincing and effective in proving the contrary. Moving further and bolder along the lines drawn in the previous study, in this book he sets upon a reconstruction of a fully-fledged philosophical project that he identifies within the whole body of Benjamin's work."—Adam Lipszyc, New Benjamin Studies

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: The Natural in the HumanPart I: Nature in Language1. God, Nature, and Man in Language2. Naming Beauty3. The Life and Afterlife of Words4. The Life of FormsPart II: Life and Fate5. The Guilt and Innocence of Life6. Fate, Redemption, and Hope in Love7. Myth, Law, and Life in CommonPart III: Body and Corporeality8. The Language of the Body and the Body of Language9. Acting NaturallyPart IV: Primal History10. "From the Pagan Context of Nature into the Jewish Context of History"11. Matters of Memory12. First and Second Nature in ArtPart V: The Image of the Contingent13. Distorted LifeNotesBibliographyIndex