Ethics and The Other: An Interpretation of The Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas

Abstract

This thesis aims to present a reading of Levinas that defends his philosophy against criticisms that it is ultimately idealistic or quietist, made by thinkers like Gillian Rose and Alain Badiou. This understanding of Levinas is founded on a misreading of his texts, and as such I present a new reading of Levinas work which provides a basis for political thinking. In doing so, I explore the role of the Other in Levinas’ philosophy, and how the Other relates to communities. Using this reading, I show how the objections made to Levinas made by Rose and Badiou do not actually apply to Levinas’ work as he presents it. After this, I present a model of how communities come together on the basis of Levinas work.