Levinas, Law, Politics

Emmanuel Levinas re-formulation of subjectivity, responsibility and the good has radically influenced post-structuralist thought. Political and legal theory, however, have only marginally profited from his moral philosophy. Levinas theme of ones infinite responsibility for the other has been often romanticised by some advocates of multiculturalism and natural justice. In this volume, political theorists, philosophers and legal scholars critically engage with this idealisation of Levinas ethics. The authors show that his crucial formulation of the idea of the other in me does not offer a quick cure for todays nationalist, racist and religious divides. Nor does his notion of anarchic responsibility provide immediate relief for the agony of dealing with matters of life and death. The rebelliousness of Levinas thought is here rediscovered and used to challenge use our preconceptions of social, legal and individual responsibility.