I am once again rereading Richard J. Bernstein’s Beyond Objectivism and Relativism.

I’m reading it with a thesis: that the Greek word phronesis roughly corresponds to Hebrew derash and refers to the same domain of truth.

My obsession with alternate domains of truth and modes of knowing originates with this book. I’ve wandered pretty far abroad, along divergent traditional paths, and now I want to bring it all home and see how things look.

And modes of knowing is only one of several enduring influences this book had on me. Almost every book in my sprawling library is three or fewer degrees from its bibliography, most fewer.

I am pretty sure it was my first encounter with Jewish styles of thought. At one point I thought Bernstein had invented an entirely new genre of literature. He seemed to be expressing his own ideas through the medium of other people’s dialogue. After a decade of Jewish life, I now know to call this talmudic. Many thinkers and friends drew me into Judaism, but none more than Bernstein.

He also gave me my first exposure to phenomenology and pragmatism, both of which provided crucial philosophical grounding (ironically!) for a philosophical understanding of design. I think more than three-quarters of my design philosophy is represented by and directly attributable to this one book.

Richard J. Bernstein died in 2022.

For me, his memory is a constant blessing. I would like to believe his living presence in my life is a share in his immortality.