To the Other: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas

by Adriaan T. Peperzak, Emmanuel Levinas

"... the best introduction available for students of one of the most important philosophers of this century". -- American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly

247 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1993

Reviews

[Corbin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peperzak provides a rather thorough introduction to Levinas' philosophy, clarifying several ambiguities in Levinas' texts that reappear in the secondary literature, though to be honest, Peperzak's clarifications were often very disappointing. If this is indeed what Levinas believed, and I think Peperzak makes strong cases for believing it to be the case, then I am much less enamored with Levinas' philosophy. Nonetheless, this is a useful tool which includes an important essay, "Philosophy and the Idea of the Infinite" (translated by Alphonso Lingis, commentary by Peperzak), and a lengthy commentary on TOTALITY AND INFINITY. Based on the conclusions and arguments, I would have rated this book much lower, but the commentary is thorough and helpful for researchers, so I have to acknowledge the scholarship.

[Aitana Monzón · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The desire of the Other can never be satisfied because the closer one comes to the desired, the more one is confronted with the profound distance and separation that belongs to the essence of its alterity."