| CODE | PHI3029 | ||||||
| TITLE | Levinas and Derrida | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Philosophy | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will consist of a close reading of three early and foundational texts of Emmanuel Levinas: (1) On Escape, (2) Existence and Existents, and (3) Time and the Other. In Existence and Existents, Levinas proclaims that his thinking is motivated by "the profound need to leave the climate of that (Heidegger's) philosophy, and by the conviction that we cannot leave it for a philsophy that would be pre-Heideggerian." (p.4) Through our close readings we will trace Levinas' path away from Heidegger's philosophy by identifying the key concepts such as 'being-in-the-world' and 'the instant', which Levinas picks out of Heidegger's thinking and by analysing how Levinas shifts and remoulds them to achieve the cumulative effect of replacing Heidegger's project of 'fundamental ontology' with his own project of 'Ethics as First Philosophy'. The focus will then shift to the encounter between Levinas and Derrida. We will follow this from Derrida's first critical appraisal of Levinas in "Violence and Metaphysics" to his later 'Levinasian' ethical and political contributions in "Adieu to Emanuel Levinas", "Of Hospitality" and "On forgiveness and Cosmpolitanism". These readings will be guided and supplemented by other readings such as: Levinas's “Reflections on the Philosophy of Hitlerism.” Trans. Seán Hand. Critical Inquiry. Vol.17, 1990, and Derrida's "Différance" (1968) in Margins of Philosophy, and "The Trace in Levinas and Derrida" by Bettina Bergo. Study-unit Aims: To engage in close readings of Levinas' influential, dense but also poetical writings. To show how such readings can be rewarding and also profitable not only for scholarly purposes but also by equipping us with conceptual tools which enable us to engage with and respond to circumstances which present complex challenges of an ethical nature. The objective of the study-unit is to show the contemporary relevance of Levinas' insistence on placing 'Ethics as first Philosophy'. Through our readings we will trace the influence that these two thinkers had on each other. Through readings of the later Derrida texts we will trace the Levinasian imprint on the ethical and political turn in Derrida. Through this process we will investigate: - What can the role of ethics be in the contemporary post-isms context? - In what ways can philosophy inform human engagements at the personal, social and political levels? Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Trace the development of the thinking of key contemporary philosophers back to the seminal texts from which they originated and by which they are heavily influenced; - Identify and employ the relevant conceptual resources to engage critically with readings of contemporary thinkers and their main critics; - Distinguish between traditional theories of ethics and those based the radical shift in ethical thinking proposed by Levinas; - Contribute to the development of ethical thinking on the lines of ethics of infinite responsibility; - Employ the tools and methods of ethics of infinite responsibility to engage with relevant contemporary issues such as offering hospitality to asylum seekers, and responding to the growing radical disparities in wealth distribution. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Expose the underlying structure of a philosophical position by identifying the key foundational concepts and mapping out their connections and relations. Main Text/s: - Levinas, Emmanuel. On Escape. Trans. Bettina Bergo. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2003. - Levinas, Emmanuel. Existence and Existents. Trans. Alphonso Lingis. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Duquesne University Press, 2001. - Levinas, Emmanuel. Time and the Other. Trans. Richard A. Cohen. Pittsburgh: Duquesne University Press, 1987. - Derrida, Jacques. “Violence and Metaphysics: An essay on the Thought of Emmanuel Levinas,” in Writing and Difference. Trans. Alan Bass, London: Routledge, 1997. B2430.D482E5 2001 - Derrida, Jacques. Adieu to Emmanuel Levinas. Trans. Brault, P. and Naas, M. California: Stanford University Press. 1999. - Derrida Jacques. Of Hospitality. Trans. Bowlby, R. California: Stanford University Press. 2000 - Derrida Jacques. On Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness, London: Routledge, 2001. Supplementary Texts: - Levinas, Emmanuel. “Reflections on the Philosophy of Hitlerism.” Trans. Seán Hand. Critical Inquiry. Vol.17, 1990. - Derrida, Jacques. “Violence and Metaphysics: An essay on the Thought of Emmanuel Levinas,” in Writing and Difference. Trans. Alan Bass, London: Routledge, 1997. - Llewelyn, John. Emmanuel Levinas: the genealogy of ethics. Routledge, 1995. - The provocation of Levinas: rethinking the other /edited by Robert Bernasconi and David Wood. Routledge, 1988. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Clive Zammit |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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