Through a combination of close readings and primary texts and translations, the author hoped to provide a set of conceptual keys that would assist new readers in orienting themselves to … Emmanuel Levinas’ centennial was commemorated in 2006 at conferences throughout the world. The retrospectives were well-warranted. Whereas traditionally first philosophy denoted either metaphysics or theology, only to be reconceived by Heidegger as fundamental ontology, Levinas argued that it is ethics that should be so conceived. Of course, we encounter a multiplicity of others, but Levinas more often uses the singular “other” to emphasize that we encounter others one at a time, face to face. Levinas: philosophy of the other published 5–12-2012 From the traditional centrality of the self in Western philosophy it is difficult to find a foundation for benevolence or altruism. Note About the Online Edition. Emmanuel Levinas, a philosopher and religious thinker who made ethical responsibility for "the Other" the bedrock of his philosophical analyses, died of heart failure in Paris on Monday. Emmanuel Levinas’s self-presentation is found on pages 325–28. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Nearly two decades ago, To the Other: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas was published, and as its title declared, its purpose was to introduce the reader into the major themes of Levinas’s work. Description. Lévinas began his … Emmanuel Levinas turns it around: the ethical call for benevolence is primary, precedes the self and all consideration of self-interest, and protection of one’s interests is a compromise on that. To the Other: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas (Purdue University Series in the History of Philosophy) (Purdue Series in the History of Philosophy) [Levinas, Emmanuel, Peperzak, Adriaan, Peperzak, Adriaan] on Amazon.com. It is thus the personal other, the other person, whoever it is, that each of us encounters directly or experiences the traces of every day. Under the title “Signature,” this text also forms the closing pages (321–27) of his own book Difficile Liberté ( Difficult Liberty ), which appeared in the same year. Indeed, Levinas’ writings take the ethical encounter with other persons–rather than abstract questions about knowledge … Of course, we encounter a multiplicity of others, but Levinas more often uses the singular “other” to emphasize that we encounter others one at a time, face to face. Emmanuel Levinas’ (1905–1995) intellectual project was to develop a first philosophy. By “face” Levinas means the human face (or in French, visage), but not thought of or experienced as a physical or aesthetic object. 61. The other person is, of course, exposed and expressive in other ways than through the literal face (e.g., through speech, gesture, action, and bodily presence generally), but the face is the most exposed, most vulnerable, and most expressive aspect of the other’s presence.