The Other with the Absolute Alterity: An analysis of the salvation of the Other by Levinas and Derrida

Zhenqing Zhang

doi:10.54097/ijeh.v11i3.14922

Authors

Zhenqing Zhang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/ijeh.v11i3.14922

Keywords:

Alterity, Ethics, Justice, The other, The Other.

Abstract

The tragic movements of the 20th century prompt thinkers to reflect on Western philosophy. Western philosophy, which is supposed to be the foundation of civilization, has led to violence against the other because of its tendency to seek totality and identity. The Jewish thinkers Levinas and Derrida call for attention to the other, they recognize that there is an insurmountable boundary between the Other as the other and the self as the subject, so "I" can no longer grasp the Other cognitively, and "I" and the Other are absolutely exterior and can no longer be integrated together. This absolute alterity of the Other gives ethics and justice a broad space. Levinas constructs a radical ethics towards the Other, and Derrida rethinks justice based on the different individuals who have lost "us". Their reflections remain invaluable for us to rethink Western philosophy, ethics and justice.

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References

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