Emmanuel Levinas (1906–1996) has exerted a profound influence on 20th-century continental philosophy. This anthology, including Levinas's key philosophical texts over a period of more than forty years, provides an ideal introduction to his thought and offers insights into his most innovative ideas. Five of the ten essays presented here appear in English for the first time. An introduction by Adriaan Peperzak outlines Levinas's philosophical development and the basic themes of his writings. Each essay is accompanied by a brief introduction and (...) notes. This collection is an ideal text for students of philosophy concerned with understanding and assessing the work of this major philosopher. (shrink)

What is fair? How and when can punishment be legitimate? Is there recompense for human suffering? How can we understand ideas about immortality or an afterlife in the context of critical thinking on the human condition? In this book L. E. Goodman presents the first general theory of justice in this century to make systematic use of the Jewish sources and to bring them into a philosophical dialogue with the leading ethical and political texts of the Western tradition. Goodman takes (...) an ontological approach to questions of natural and human justice, developing a theory of community and of nonvindictive yet retributive punishment that is grounded in careful analysis of various Jewish sources—biblical, rabbinic, and philosophical, His exegesis of these sources allow Plato, Kant, and Rawls to join in a discourse with Spinoza and medieval rationalists, such as Saasidah and Maimonides, who speak in a very different idiom but address many of the same themes. Drawing on sources old and new, Jewish and non-Jewish, Goodman offers fresh perspectives on important moral and theological issues that will be of interest to both Jewish and secular philosophers. (shrink)

This elevating pull of an ethics that can account for the relation of self and other without reducing either term is the central theme of these essays.

This article applies the moral principles of Judeo-Christian ethics as a basis for urging the citzens of Alabama to insist that the state and local tax structure be reformed. This article first empirically documents that Alabama's state and local tax structure harshly burdens the poorest Alabamians through regressive income and sales taxes. This article then proves that Alabama's lowest property taxes per capita in the nation leaves the state and local governments unable to fund minimum needs, such as education, thereby (...) denying the poorest Alabamians a minimum opportunity to improve their lives. An original empirical study of the relative property tax burdens of Alabama's different classes of property proves that timber, which covers 71% of Alabama's real property accounts for less than 2% of the property taxes, averaging less than $1 per acre. Because more than 90% of Alabamains practice Christianity, the moral principles of Judeo-Christian ethics are relevant. Using Old and New Testament scripture (and numerous scholarly works) this article shows how Alabama's tax structure violates these moral principles and then argues that the profession of faith of most Alabamians compells them to use their talents and resources to support tax reform. This article imposes the highest responsibilies on those with education and wealth, political leaders and finally religious leaders. (shrink)