Levinas vis-à-vis the Other Essay -- Religion Philosophy

Levinas vis--vis the OtherPhilosophy, arising from its Greek tradition of a bask of wisdom, seeks to critically examine those questions most fundamental to humankind it is have-to doe with with essential concepts (or rather, questions) of being (metaphysics), rightness and goodness, knowledge, truth and beauty. As a break of metaphysics, ontology seeks, in particular, to understand the nature of being (or existence) by placing objects within categories and nonionic totalities, while always assuming God as the first elbow grease (causa sui). (Rebidoux) Yet as most philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle and Descartes each certify to their distinct definition of being, there is an exception to these ontological contenders Emmanuel Levinas. By avoiding strict classification or definition in his writings (he avoids set the saying into the said), Levinas seems to desire participation, or an encounter with, his reader. Levinas own(prenominal) history including an former(a) exposure to the Bible and Jewish philosophy - may explain both his somewhat unorthodox methods and his massive undertaking of transforming Talmudic concepts into Greek philosophy.(Rebidoux, 19 Jan 2004) No doubt influenced by a traumatic experience as a Jew during the Second World War, Levinas also owes much of his ideological foundation to his studies with Heidegger and Husserl, who greatly inspired his awareness of phenomenology. In his writings, he applies Husserlian knowledge of this science of phenomena, i.e. things comprehend by consciousness and concrete experiencei i , to his ontological inquiry into the essence of being. Levinas founds these theories chiefly on the face to face encounter with the Other. His notion of the Other, borrowed ... ...ylink). 27 February 2004http//www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t98.e12456. Rebidoux, Michelle. Lecture. McGill University, Montreal. 21 January 9 February 2004.Notes1 Left without any trial impres sion that the Infinite exists and having only a sense of transcendence and new-found ipseity, ones experience of a trauma of awakening is no doubt only and incommunicably personal, and therefore must be difficult for Levinas to add to his readers, as it is for me to convey within the limits of this paper.2 Ones own sense of self that arises from this initial inspiration of the Infinite would more aptly be called ones ipseity, yet to speak of ones ipseity would be to de-value its utmost personal meaning, and so for the purpose of this paper the ipseity of the Other will be referred to as his or her alterity.