The Nature of the Good: The Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas

Undergraduate / Graduate

What is the good act and what makes it so? What do with owe the Other? How does one construct a moral life? Emmanuel Levinas is one of the most important Jewish philosophers of the late 20th century. He produced a large body of dense, intricate moral theory that has come to define post-modern Jewish thought. In this course, we will read two of his most important works closely. In this way, we will consider the development of his thought on such key concepts as "the Other," "substitution," and "Infinity." This course will reflect on a moral puzzle: why do humans chose to be good or evil? This seminar considers his arguments about human relationality, duty, judgment and moral action-the phenomenology of the encounter with the Other, for which he is best known.