Lévinas och den andre. Nycklar till en gångbar etik i det postmoderna samhället

Abstract

Emmanuel Lévinas is one of the great ethics in the 20th century. His contribution to the philosophical discourse defies our thinking and behavior in a revolutionary way. He dismisses every categorization, every tematization, every moral based on an analytical reflection and compels us with an ethics that demands us not only to think, but to act and be responsible. The 21st century’s emphasis of the individual, globalization, plurality and the questioning of authorities has created new challenges for the individual who sees herself as the nave of morality. The aim of this study is to analyze the philosophy of Lévinas in the context of the postmodern tendencies to try to find an approach that might meet the challenges and the needs of the individual in this new society that effloresce. The analysis has shown that Lévinas’ emphasis on autonomy, individualization and sensibility as well as his accentuation of the Other, the stranger worthy of our respect and responsibility, harmonizes well with the postmodern tendencies in the 21st century. Lévinas sees the autonomy of the individual as a prerequisite for her ability to meet the Other with an open mind and with deep respect, to see her as a unique human being apart from the totality of the oppressive potentate. Lévinas asks us to be in the moment, see the stranger as he is and not as we want him to be, and be open enough to see the Infinity in his eyes. In a world of globalization and plurality, Lévinas’ non-judgmental approach to the Other, is an ethics that neither forces the individual to listen to authorities, nor becoming dependent, being a part of the ideology of the totality, but encourages her to stay independent, responsible of her own life and freedom. Lévinas’ ethics stands in total opposition of the modern objective-subjective approach, goes against preconceptions and a narrow thinking, encourages openness, autonomy, the uniqueness of the individual, the gift of infinity that exists in the face of the stranger and does as such go hand in hand with globalization, individualization and plurality that are important elements in postmodernism.