Discovering LevinasIn Discovering Levinas, Michael L. Morgan shows how this thinker faces in novel and provocative ways central philosophical problems of twentieth-century philosophy and religious thought. He tackles this task by placing Levinas in conversation with philosophers such as Donald Davidson, Stanley Cavell, John McDowell, Onora O'Neill, Charles Taylor, and Cora Diamond. He also seeks to understand Levinas within philosophical, religious, and political developments in the history of twentieth-century intellectual culture. Morgan demystifies Levinas by examining his unfamiliar and surprising vocabulary, interpreting texts with an eye to clarity, and arguing that Levinas can be understood as a philosopher of the everyday. Morgan also shows that Levinas's ethics is not morally and politically irrelevant nor is it excessively narrow and demanding in unacceptable ways. Neither glib dismissal nor fawning acceptance, this book provides a sympathetic reading that can form a foundation for a responsible critique. |
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acknowledge action agent agent-neutral reasons agent-relative reasons ambitions arise Bernard Williams Christine Korsgaard concern consequentialist Creating the Kingdom Dancy Darwall deliberation deontological reasons detached distinction encounter Entre Nous ethical everyday moral express face fact forgiveness goals good-absolutely grounded Hobbesian human Impartial Reason impersonal individual interaction interpersonal relationships intersubjective values John McDowell Jonathan Dancy Justice kill kind Kingdom of Ends Last Word Levinas calls Levinas puts Levinas’s Levinasian Love Marxism matter means moral and political moral conscience moral principles moral reasons moral systems moral theory Nagel and Korsgaard Nagel argues Nagel calls neutral Nine Talmudic Readings objective reasons offender one’s ontology pain and suffering particular other person perspective Philosophy point of view Possibility of Altruism primal scene primordial responsibility projects question reasons or values relevant self's sense Share situation social someone Sources of Normativity Stephen Darwall takes third party Thomas Nagel totalitarian unlimited victim