Yeshayahu Leibowitz has been described by one of his fellow professors at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem as 'the most logical but also the most unreasonable person I ever met'. 'Non-conformist', 'the intellectual rabbi', 'the incarnation of Jewish genius': these are just a few of the qualifications attributed to him by the establishment in Israel. Those on the 'left' only accepted Leibowitz' ideas when it became clear that his predictions were becoming a reality in Israel. The 'right' regarded his ideas as detestable and kept him at arms length. Those on all sides of the political spectrum were deeply shocked when Leibowitz employed the term 'Judeo-Nazis' to describe extreme nationalist forces in Israel.

A philosopher for all seasons records a series of discussions with Professor Leibowitz. The documentary explores his ideas and uses them as a starting point to consider some of the fundamental problems in Israeli society. Issues that are raised include: the continuing violent oppression of the Palestinians; the relationship between Jewish traditional values and Western culture; and the significance of Jewish identity and heritage.