Faculty of Humanities
School of Basic Social Sciences
Department of Philosophy
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
Phenomenology is one of the most important and influential movements of twentieth century philosophy. One of the most significant younger representatives of phenomenology is the French philosopher Emmanuel Lévinas. His work on ethics, that has already had an enormous influence on thought in the humanities all over the world, deserves thorough investigation and critical evaluation. The aim of this project was to develop a reliable, but innovative interpretation of the work of Lévinas. The apparently secondary themes of meaning and politics have been used to demonstrate how the author’s thought works, but also to submit this thought to penetrating questioning. Human sociality is situated in the field of tension between the totalitarian tendency of political interaction and the incessant appeal to increasing responsibility made by the other on the subject. Ethics should be understood from its linguistic nature, and particularly as interference in politics. The ethical impacts on the political in the form of justice. Lévinas’ philosophy should be understood as in intervention in the normal flow of politics, as well as a plea for such interventions, in the name of justice. Essential elements of the construction of this philosophy were questioned by means of careful investigation (the particular linguistic nature of the other in particular). A perspective on the inherent ambiguity and potential maliciousness of Lévinas’ idea of justice was developed through intense debate with the author as well as with the most important of his commentators. The project lead to the publication of a number of articles in philosophical journals and of a monograph, De l’éthique à la justice. Langage et politique dans le philosophie de Lévinas, that appeared in 2007 in the internationally acclaimed series Phaenomenologica.
Contact person: Dr E Wolff.
|
