Levinas : subjectivity, affectivity and desire
The thesis argues that Emmanuel Levinasâs later concept of ethical subjectivity, explicated in his late work Otherwise than Being or Beyond Essence, can really only be understood by taking into account the very early work On Escape. The thesis argues that the concept of ethical subjectivity emerges from his work via his attempts to articulate transcendence. Transcendence itself is ultimately identified with ethics. My thesis traces his continued attempts at a satisfactory conception of transcendence through the early works (Existence and Existents and Time and the Other), and via his other major work Totality and Infinity. On Escape articulates a very specific notion of need in terms of a need for escape which forms the conceptual seeds of Levinasâs idea of transcendence, and which will ultimately become his notion of metaphysical Desire. His notion of ethics as the arresting of the spontaneous egoâs conatus by the face of the Other, will turn out to ultimately requires the articulation of ethical subjectivity. The notion of ethical subjectivity is made possible, and thus his work reaches maturity, by the introduction of the notion of the trace. I argue that the idea of subjectivity as openness and vulnerability
Wilde, Anthony Edward
Philosophy
Levinas : subjectivity, affectivity and desire. The thesis argues that Emmanuel Levinasâs later concept of ethical subjectivity, explicated in his late work Otherwise than Being or Beyond Essence, can really only be understood by taking into account the very early work On Escape. The thesis argues that the concept of ethical subjectivity emerges from his work via his attempts to articulate transcendence. Transcendence itself is ultimately identified with ethics. My thesis traces his continued attempts at a satisfactory conception of transcendence through the early works (Existence and Existents and Time and the Other), and via his other major work Totality and Infinity. On Escape articulates a very specific notion of need in terms of a need for escape which forms the conceptual seeds of Levinasâs idea of transcendence, and which will ultimately become his notion of metaphysical Desire. His notion of ethics as the arresting of the spontaneous egoâs conatus by the face of the Other, will turn out to ultimately requires the articulation of ethical subjectivity. The notion of ethical subjectivity is made possible, and thus his work reaches maturity, by the introduction of the notion of the trace. I argue that the idea of subjectivity as openness and vulnerability
levinas subjectivity affectivity desire argues emmanuel_levinas later concept ethical subjectivity explicate late work otherwise beyond essence really understood take_account early_work escape argues concept ethical subjectivity emerge work via attempt articulate transcendence transcendence ultimately identify ethic trace continue attempts satisfactory conception transcendence early_work existence time via major_work totality infinity escape articulate specific notion need term need escape form conceptual seed levinas idea transcendence ultimately become notion metaphysical desire notion ethic arrest spontaneous ego face turn ultimately require articulation ethical subjectivity notion ethical subjectivity make_possible thus work reach maturity introduction notion trace argue idea subjectivity openness vulnerability