HomePhilosophia: International Journal of Philosophyvol. 17 no. 2 (2016)

LEVINAS, NANCY, AND THE BEING OF PLURALITY

Benda Hofmeyr | Mark Kourie

 

Abstract:

This essay critically considers the differences and complementarities between Emmanuel Levinas’s and Jean-Luc Nancy’s respective accounts of ontology and ethics. A comparative reading reveals that while both insist upon a relational conceptualization of subjectivity, they base relationality on differing notions of alterity. The simultaneous proximity and distance between these two thinkers’ respective transphenomological quests yield critical force that enables a mutual critique, while opening up productive avenues for overcoming some of the problems inherent to their views.