The Event of the Good: Reading Levinas in a Levinasian Way

Centers on the ethics of Emmanuel Levinas, aiming to understand this important thinker on his own terms. To read Levinas in a Levinasian way means to understand this important thinker on his own terms, thinking "ethics as first philosophy," without reducing his role to that of a contributor to some other discourse, such as phenomenology, deconstruction, or religious traditions other than his own. This volume offers a variety of interventions into how the priority of the ethical-as formulated by Emmanuel Levinas and seconded by Richard A. Cohen, one of his preeminent interpreters-reorients philosophy to its own questioning-indeed, to its very sense of itself as meaningful. In the decades since Levinas first emerged as a profound and critical voice, many have used his thought to illuminate a broad range of philosophical questions. Often this has occurred in ways that have deemphasized or altered what is arguably Levinas's most radical gesture: reframing philosophy, indeed reframing the meaning of meaning, via an ethical turn. To this end, the essays in this volume, drawing especially on Cohen's reading of Levinas, offer insights into how appropriations and assessments of his philosophy might become more in line with the urgency and full meaning of his notion of the ethical. Whether discussing ethics, aesthetics, politics, or Jewish thought, when taken together, they enhance our comprehension of ethics and Levinas's philosophy of responsibility.

Table of Contents:
Introduction. The Event of the Good James M. McLachlan Path I. Reading Levinas 1. Reading Levinas in a Levinasian Way Jean-Michel Salanskis 2. Levinas in North America Today: Richard A. Cohen's Contributions Jack Marsh and Christopher L. Southland 3. Book Review: Ethics, Exegesis and Philosophy: Interpretation after Levinas Robert Gibbs 4. Cohenfest: Did Rich Cohen Eat Al Lingis's Octopus? Don Ihde 5. Cohen as Philosopher Marie-Anne Lescourret 6. Book Review: Elevations Edith Wyschogrod Path II. Ethical Exegesis 7. Post-Levinasian Sketch of Ambivalent Relations: Between Art, Criticism, and Ethics Rossitsa Varadinova Borkowski 8. Rhythm and Sense in the Philosophy of Levinas Masato Goda 9. After the End of Philosophy: Ethical Exegesis and Ethical Body Irina Poleshchuk 10. Senseless Kindness, the Church, and the Betrayal of Mercy in Don Quixote Steven Shankman 11. Art of the Uncanny: Seeing with Cohen and Levinas Jolanta Saldukaitytė Path III. Ontological Contests 12. Review: Levinas's Reading of Spinoza Jacques J. Rozenberg 13. Imagine Freedom Brunella Antomarini 14. Sovereignty in Levinas and Hobbes Christopher Buckman 15. On Ethics: Levinas and Badiou in the Post-Postmodern Condition Chung-Hsiung Lai 16. On the Importance of Importance: Emmanuel Levinas on the First Challenge to Jewish Thought Today Richard Sugarman 17. Levinas and the Ethics of Sacrifice: Reading "Dying For..." Adverbially Sandor Goodhart Path IV. Ethical Religion 18. The Small Goodness Never Wins, But Is Never Defeated: On How Emmanuel Levinas Finds Inspirtation in Vasily Grossman for His Vision of a Humane Society Roger Burggraeve 19. Sympathy for the Devil: On Richard Cohen's Levinasian Medications on Sartre and Theology James M. McLachlan 20. Incarnate Religion Mark K. Spencer 21. The Ethical Event: A Phenomenology of Chesed for Asylum-seeking Refugees Devorah Wainer Conclusion: Cohen Responds Response to Contributors Richard A. Cohen List of Contributors Index

About the Author :
Christopher Buckman is Lecturer in Philosophy at Indiana University Kokomo. Melissa Bradley teaches history at the secondary school level in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jack Marsh teaches Bible Studies at the Inter-American School, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. James McLachlan is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Religion at Western Carolina University.

Review :
"The essays in this volume offer ways of reading Levinas's philosophical corpus that are more in tune with how Levinas himself invites approaches consistent with his own formulations of his project. This is indeed a welcome development." — James D. Hatley, Salisbury University "This book is unique in the way it foregrounds attempts to read Levinas through his own lens and methods. The essays collected here emphasize a faithfulness to Levinas's work throughout, and, through many different angles and approaches, they exhibit what happens when his words and work are generally trusted and relied upon to shape interpretation." — Eric R. Severson, Seattle University