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Aspects of Alterity: Levinas, Marcel, and the Contemporary Debate by Brian Treanor (Hardcover, 2007)

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Every other is truly other, but no other is wholly other. This is the claim that Aspects of Alterity defends. Taking up the question of otherness that so fascinates contemporary continental philosophy, this book asks what it means for something or someone to be other than the self. Levinas and those influenced by him point out that the philosophical tradition of the West has generally favored the self at the expense of the other. Such a self-centered perspective never encounters the other qua other, however. In response, postmodern thought insists on the absolute otherness of the other, epitomized by the deconstructive claim every other is wholly other. But absolute otherness generates problems and aporias of its own. This has led some thinkers to reevaluate the notion of relative otherness in light of the postmodern critique, arguing for a chiastic account that does justice to both the alterity and the similitude of the other. These latter two positions-absolute otherness and a rehabilitated account of relative otherness-are the main contenders in the contemporary debate. The philosophies of Emmanuel Levinas and Gabriel Marcel provide the point of embarkation for coming to understand the two positions on this question. Levinas and Marcel were contemporaries whose philosophies exhibit remarkably similar concern for the other but nevertheless remain fundamentally incompatible. Thus, these two thinkers provide a striking illustration of both the proximity of and the unbridgeable gap between two accounts of otherness. Aspects of Alterity delves into this debate, first in order understand the issues at stake in these two positions and second to determine which description better accounts for the experience of encountering the other. After a thorough assessment and critique of otherness in Levinas's and Marcel's work, including a discussion of the relationship of ethical alterity to theological assumptions, Aspects of Alterity traces the transmission and development of these two conceptions of otherness. Levinas's version of otherness can be seen in the work of Jacques Derrida and John D. Caputo, while Marcel's understanding of otherness influences the work of Paul Ricoeur and Richard Kearney. Ultimately, Aspects of Alterity makes a case for a hermeneutic account of otherness. Otherness itself is not absolute, but is a chiasm of alterity and similitude. Properly articulated, such an account is capable of addressing the legitimate ethical and epistemological concerns that lead thinkers to construe otherness in absolute terms, but without the absolute aporias that accompany such a characterization.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Fordham University Press
ISBN-13
9780823226849
eBay Product ID (ePID)
96711842

Product Key Features

Book Title
Aspects of Alterity: Levinas, Marcel, and the Contemporary Debate
Author
Brian Treanor
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Topic
Popular Philosophy
Publication Year
2007
Number of Pages
320 Pages

Dimensions

Item Height
229mm
Item Width
152mm

Additional Product Features

Title_Author
Brian Treanor
Series Title
Perspectives in Continental Philosophy
Country/Region of Manufacture
United States

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Aspects of Alterity: Levinas, Marcel, and the Contemporary Debate by Brian Treanor (Hardcover, 2007)

About this product

Product Information

Product Identifiers

Product Key Features

Dimensions

Additional Product Features

Best Selling in Books

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The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible by Martin Flint Et. Al. Abegg (Paperback, 2002)

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Save on Books

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