Jay Bernstein

Jay Bernstein is a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at The New School for Social Research. His work interrogates foundational questions about human existence, morality, politics, and art. He holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh (1975) and has taught courses on Hegel, modernism, and ethical theory. His research focuses on ethical modernism, political atrocity, and the intersection of art and philosophy.

Key areas of concentration include social/political philosophy, contemporary Continental thought, critical theory, aesthetics, German idealism, and pragmatism. Recent talks include discussions on climate ethics and the Master/Slave dialectic. Bernstein currently teaches courses such as Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit and The Death of Nature.

His publications include Political Concepts: A Critical Lexicon (2018), Torture and Dignity (2015), and Against Voluptuous Bodies (2007). His articles explore themes like moral injury, Adorno’s aesthetics, and Hegel’s feminist interpretations. Upcoming courses address advanced philosophical texts and independent research projects.